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FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM 
IN AMERICA 

A Biographical History for 
the Elementary Grades 



BY 

DAVID B. CORSON 

SuPT. OF Schools, Newark, N. J. 
AND 

HUBERT R. CORNISH 

Principal, Paterson, N. J. 



HINDS, HAYDEN & ELDREDGE, Inc. 

NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA CHICAGO 



E\'l<i:' 



•C 3 3 



COPYEIGHT, 1922, BY 

HINDS, HAYDEN & ELDREDGE, Inc. 



MAY 1 7 1922 



0)n!A661720 
-7^ / // 



PREFACE 



The authors of this history believe that another text on 
the subject is justified at this time only by the fact that 
some of the big ideals for which this country stands should 
receive greater emphasis than has been usual. These are 
now more clearly defined than formerly, making it desirable 
that a text designed as this is for the fifth and sixth grades 
shall be a helpful adjunct in teaching them. It should 
include, too, a treatment of the lives and achievements of 
some of the men and women who have influenced the great 
movements in our national life during recent years. 

The development of the ideals of liberty and the giving 
of unselfish service for the good of mankind have been 
stressed throughout the book. In the preparation of the 
stories the fact that America has been not only a refuge for 
those who sought to escape persecution but a land of oppor- 
tunity and of material and moral, as well as political, 
progress has been uppermost in the minds of the authors. 

Five connecting chapters are included in the book for 
the purpose of preparing the pupils' minds for some of 
the important events of the different periods into which 
the history is divided. The aim is to establish a viewpoint 
and to give an interpretative basis for the subsequent 
narratives. 

The biographical treatment, so appealing to children, is 
used because children in the fifth and sixth grades possess 



IV PREFACE 

a strong love of romance and adventure and of heroic 
deeds. American history affords ample material to satisfy 
the craving of the young mind. The deeds of daring 
mariners and pioneers and the action of courageous soldiers 
and statesmen and other leaders are as interesting in fact 
as are others in fiction. The stories are told, first, to kindle 
the admiration of children, and, second, to form the back- 
ground for the development of the ideals which have made 
the United States a government under which civil and 
religious liberty are guaranteed, and under which they are 
enjoyed by a freedom-loving people. 

The authors wish to call attention especially to the four 
projects included in the book. The dramatization of 
"Columbus' Voyage, Discovery, and Victorious Return," 
and the project '^ Impersonation by Children of Explorers 
and Pioneers" have been worked out by Miss Mabel L. 
Bennett, Helping Teacher, Union County, New Jersey. 
The projects, ''The Life of Daniel Boone," and ''How 
Clara Barton and the Red Cross have Shown us the Joy 
of Unselfish Service," have been written by Miss Vera 
M. Telfer, Helping Teacher, Warren County, New Jersey. 
The pageant immediately following Chapter XLVII, entitled 
"The Development of Liberty in America," has been 
worked out by the teachers and pupils of the Belmont 
Avenue School, Newark, N. J. The authors trust that 
teachers will consider the use of these and similar projects 
indispensable to the successful presentation and teaching 
of this textbook in elementary American history. 

The authors wish to thank those who have read and crit- 
icized the manuscript. Many valuable suggestions have 
been received from these friends, 

D. B. C. 

H, R. C. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHATPER PAGE 

Special Table of Maps and Studies ix 

Prehistoric America. 

I. The Prehistoric Peoples of America 1 

II. The Norsemen and Leif Ericson — The Norsemen in 

America 5 

Period of Discovery and Exploration by Europeans, 1492-1607, 
115 Years. 

III. The New World: A Land of Freedom 9 

IV. Christopher Columbus and His Discoveries and Explora- 
tions 11 

V. Project — Dramatization of Columbus' Voyage, Discovery, 

and Victorious Return 21 

VI. John Cabot and His Discoveries and Explorations; the 

Basis of England's Later Claims in America ... 30 
VII. Juan Ponce de Leon and the Fabled Fountain — Discoveries 

and Explorations 34 

VIII. Other Spanish Explorers and their Discoveries — The Work 

of Balboa, Magellan, Corte'^ Pizarro and De Soto . 36 
IX. English Explorers of the Sixteenth Century — Spain and 
England on the Sea; Famous English Sailors, John 

Hawkins, Sir Francis Drake 42 

X. Sir Walter Raleigh and His Attempt to make Settlements 
in America. Reasons for English Colonization in 
America 46 

Period of Settlement and Development, 1607-1775, 168 Years 

XI. Settlements in America 51 

XII. John Smith and the First Permanent English Settlement in 
America — The Settlement of Jamestown; Character 
of the Settlement; Success of the Settlement; Smith's 
Aid to the Settlement 53 

V 



VI TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XIII. Myles Standish and the Settlement of New England — The 

Pilgrims and their Reason for Coming to America; 
the Mayflower Compact; Success of the Settlement; 
Myles Standish 's Part in the Settlement ... 58 

XIV. John Winthrop and Other Puritan Leaders — The Puritans 

in England; The First Settlement; John Winthrop's 

Aid as Governor 65 

XV. Henry Hudson and the Dutch in America — Explorations 
of Hudson; History of the Settlement of New Amster- 
dam 72 

XVI. Samuel de Champlain and the French in America — Discov- 
eries and Explorations of Cartier and Champlain; 
Explorations of La Salle, and the Present Borders of 

the United States 82 

XVII. William Penn and the Settlement of the Quakers in America 
— An Account of the Quakers; Penn's Part in the 

Settlement of Pennsylvania 89 

XVIII. Lord Baltimore and James Oglethorpe and their Services 
for Freedom — Brief Review of Settlements and Other 
Colonies with Special Reference to Lord Baltimore in 
Maryland; Oglethorpe's Part in the Settlement of 

Georgia 95 

XIX. James Wolfe and the War between England and France in 
America — An Account of the French and Indian War 
with Special Reference to Wolfe and Montcalm .100 
XX. Project: Impersonation by Children of Explorers and Pio- 
neers 107 

Peeiod of the Revolution, Maeked by Wae foe Independence, 

THE CONFEDEEATION OF THE StATES, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT 

OF THE Constitution of the United States, 1775-1789, 14 
Yeaes. 

XXI. The Establishment of a New Nation 110 

XXII. Benjamin Franklin and the Union of the Colonies — His 
Early Life; Life in Philadelphia; His Inventions 
Work as a Printer; His Work During the Revolutionary 

Period . 112 

XXIII. The Desire for Liberty and Two of the Leaders — Patrick 



TABLE OF CONTENTS VU 

CHAPTER PAGE 

Henry and Samuel Adams ; Their Part in the Pre-Rev- 
ohitionar}^ Period 121 

XXIV. George Washington and the War for Independence — His 
Early Life; His Home Life; His Part in the French 
and Indian War ; His Work during the War for Inde- 
pendence and Following 134 

XXV. John Paul Jones and the War for Independence — An 
Account of the American Navy in the War for Inde- 
pendence with Special Reference to Jones . . . 151 

XXVI. Thomas Jefferson and the War for Independence — His 
Work during the War for Independence and as Presi- 
dent of the LTnited States, with Special Reference to 
the Declaration of Independence and to the Louisiana 
Purchase 156 

Period OF Develoi'ment and the Growth of Nationality, 17S9- 
1865, 76 Years. 

XXVII. The Growth of a Nation 162 

XXVIII. Daniel Boone and the Settlement of the West — Early Pio- 
neer Life ; Western Settlement with Special Reference 

to Boone 164 

XXIX. Project: Life of Daniel Boone 170 

XXX. Alexander Hamilton and the Finances of the New Nation — 
Hamilton During the War for Independence; His 
Great Work as an Officer in Washington's Cabinet . 173 
XXI. Robert Fulton and the Progress of Transportation — Inven- 
tion of the Steamboat, and the Consequences of this 

Invention 178 

XXXII. Labor-saving Machines and Their Importance in the 
Development of the Country — Invention of the 
Cotton-gin and the Consequences of this Invention . 183 

XXXIII. Andrew Jackson and Nullification — Jackson's Early Life; 

His Part in the Battle of New Orleans; Question of 
States' Rights with Special Reference to Nullification . 188 

XXXIV. The Railroad and the Progress of Transportation — 

Beginning of the Railroad in America and the Conse- 
quences of this Improvement in Traveling . . 193 
XXXV. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster and the Growth of 
Nationality — The Life of Clay and of Webster, with 



VIU TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAQB 

Special Reference to the Part that They took in the 
Discussion of States' Rights 197 

XXXVI. Abraham Lincoln, the Great Emancipator — His Boy- 
hood Days, Young Manhood, and Life as President 
with Special Reference to His Work in Preserving 
the Union 206 

XXXin. Ulysses S. Grant, the Victorious General of the Civil 
War — His Life and Services as General in the Civil 
War 216 

Period of Material and Moral Progress, and the Expansion 
OF THE Nation into a World power, 1865- 

XXXVIIL The History of Our Times 222 

XXXIX. Improvements in Machinery — An Account of the Reaper 
with Reference to Influence on the Western Expan- 
sion; An Account of the Improved Machinery for 
Making Newspapers and the Consequences Thereof . 225 
XL. Morse and the Telegraph — Invention and Use of the 

Telegraph and Telephone 232 

XLI. Thomas A. Edison, the Great Inventor — Special Refer- 
ence to His many Inventions and their Value . . 236 
XLII. Frances E. Willard and the Temperance Crusade — Her 
Girlhood and Education; Work as Leader of the 

Temperance Movement 242 

XLIII. Clara Barton and the Red Cross — Special Reference to 

the Work of the Red Cross Society in the World War. 246 
XLIV. Project: How Clara Barton and the Red Cross have 

shown us the Joy of Unselfish Service . . .251 
XLV. Theodore Roosevelt, the American — His Life as Boy, 
Young Man, and as President; His many Public 

Services 256 

XLVI. Anna Howard Shaw and Woman Suffrage — Miss Shaw's 

Part in the Woman Suffrage Movement . . 263 

XLVII. Woodrow Wilson and the World War — Special Refer- 
ence to America's Part in this War; Woodrow 

Wilson's Part in the World War 267 

XLVIII. Project : The Development of Liberty in America . . 279 

Important Dates in our History 290 

Index . . . 293 







MAP STUDIES 






Fig. 


1- 


-Voyages and Settlements, 1492-1607 


. .facing page 


36 


Fig. 


2- 


-The West Indies 


. .facing page 


37 


Fig. 


3- 


-The French in the ]Mi.ssissii)i)i Valley 


. .facing page 


84 


Fig. 


4- 


-Map Showing Location of Indian Tribes. . 


. .facing page 


85 


Fig. 


5- 


-The English Colonies in 1700 


. .following page 


96 


Fig. 


6- 


-Map Showing Rival Claims of European Nations 










facing page 


100 


Fig. 


7- 


-United States, Showing Southern Confederacy 










following page 


212 


Fig. 


8- 


—Land Acquired by the LTnited States 


. .foUoiring page 


258 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



CHAPTER I 
THE PREHISTORIC PEOPLES OF AMERICA 

The United States is now a great nation of many people 
living on farms, in villages, and in large cities. They have 
made many inventions, such as the automobile, telegraph, 
telephone, electric light, and have made wonderful progress 
in manufacturing articles for their daily use, in architecture, 
iin the practical arts, and in education. Only a few hun- 
dred years ago a different race lived here under different 
conditions. The country was a vast wilderness unknown 
to the civilized peoples of Europe. 

In the Mississippi Valley great mounds of earthworks are 
found — the work of a prehistoric people. Little is known 
of these people or of the Cliff Dwellers who built houses 
upon ledges and in the cliffs of the mountains of New Mex- 
ico. These and other Indians, as they were later named by 
Columbus, had instead of roads only paths through the 
forest. They made no bridges over the streams or rivers 
and no boats except the birch canoe. 

The most civilized of the Indian tribes lived in Mexico 
and Peru and other parts of the American continent. 
Wonderful defensive works, aqueducts, paved roads, monu- 
ments, altars, idols, and temples are found there in ruins. 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



The Spanish seekers for gold conquered great cities in these 
countries. 

The Indian of the land now known as the United States 
lived here for centuries but did nothing to improve himself 
or his people. His son followed the old customs, learning 
to hunt and to fight. His education was to catch fish with 
a spear, to shoot the arrow, to throw the tomahawk, and to 
learn the traditions of the tribe. The Indian man regarded 

labor as fit only for women. 
The Indian woman built 
the wigwam, cut the wood, 
scratched the ground with 
a stick or clam shell, 
planted the corn, cooked 
the food, made the clothing 
of dressed skins, and car- 
ried the burdens on a 
journey. She was not the 
equal of her husband, but 
an underling who ate what 
was left of her lord's feast 
and took the coldest place 
in the wigwam. The In- 
dian man was lazy and 
shiftless. He was revengeful, but grateful for favors and 
was hospitable to his tribesmen or friends. He talked very 
little, was grave and even haughty in manner. He endured 
suffering without flinching. He was superstitious, and 
believed that spirits lived in beasts and reptiles and birds 
and rivers and lakes. He thought these spirits could 
harm him and he dreaded to offend any of them. He 
believed that at death his spirit w^ent to the Happy Hunting 
Grounds where he would find great joy. There was a 




An Indian, 



THE PREHISTORIC PEOPLES OF AMERICA 6 

tradition among the North American Indians of an Indian 
of miraculous birth who was sent among them '' to clear 
their rivers, forests, and fishing grounds, and to teach them 
the arts of peace." Among the different tribes he was 
called by various names, the best known of which is Hia- 
watha.* Longfellow describes him thus: 

" From his lodge went Hiawatha, 
Dressed for travel, armed for hunting; 
Dressed in deer-skin shirt and leggings, 
Richly wrought wiih quills and wampum; 
On his head his eagle-feathers, 
Round his waist his belt of wampum, 
In his hand his bow of ash- wood, 
Strung with sinews of the reindeer; 
In his quiver oaken arrows, 
Tipped with jasper, winged with feathers; 
With his mittens, MinjekahA\ain, 
With his moccasins enchanted." 

Although cruel and treacherous in warfare, the Indians 
were also alert and brave. The coming of the white men to 
America caused a long struggle between them and the red 
men. The Indians were friendly to the early English set- 
tlers in Massachusetts and in Pennsylvania because the 
people of these settlements treated them, as you will learn, 
in a kind and just manner. Their relations with the Span- 
iards, the French, and the English are of great interest in 
American history. 

The Indians are now living in reservations, chiefly in the 
western part of the United States. At the burial of the 
unknown soldier of the World War in Arlington Cemetery 
on Armistice Day, November 11, 1921, Plenty Coups, an 

See Schoolcraft's " Algic Researches," Vol. 1, p. 134, and "History, 
Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States." Part 
HI, p. 314. 



4 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Indian chief, laid his feathered war bonnet and coup stick 
reverently on the bier as a tribute of the Indians of America 
to those of their race who fought with the Americans in that 
great struggle. In doing this he said, " I feel it an honor 
to the red man that he takes part in this great event because 
it shows that the thousands of Indians who fought in the 
great war are appreciated by the white man. ... I hope 
that the Great Spirit will grant that these noble warriors 
have not given up their lives in vain and that there will be 
peace to all men hereafter. . . . This is the Indian's hope 
and prayer." 

THINGS TO DO 

I. Discuss what is meant by prehistoric. 

II. Borrow from the library descriptions of the CHff Dwellers and the 
Mound Builders of the United States to use in class. 

III. Borrow from the librarj^ descriptions of the ancient people of 

Mexico and Peru for use in class. 

IV. Bring to school some Indian pictures for class study. 
V. Read in class a few selections from Hiawatha. 

VI. What is an Indian Reservation? Locate some of them. 
VII. Name some large cities of the United States. 
VIII. Make a list of inventions that you know have made life in America 
easy and convenient. 



CHAPTER II 
THE NORSEMEN AND LEIF ERICSON 

The Norsemen in America. — In early times there lived 
in the northern countries of Europe a strong, hardy race of 
people, called Northmen, Norsemen, or Vikings, who loved 
adventure and gloried in battle. Many of these people 
were sailors who scoured the seas in small boats made of 
oak timbers fastened together with iron bolts and withes 
made from the roots of trees. Some of their boats were 
ornamented at the prow with the head of a dragon, w hile the 
stern was built to resemble a dragon's tail. Besides the sails, 
these boats carried many oars. The largest vessels were 
very small compared wdth ocean-going boats of to-day. 

With these small, clumsy vessels, however, the Vikings 
made themselves feared on the sea. They would appear 
suddenly off the coast of France or England and would 
plunder and then burn what they did not want. They 
forced the French king to give them land in the northern 
part of his kingdom. Some of the Northmen settled there, 
and it has since been called Normandy. They also con- 
quered and settled a part of England. 

Some of the Vikings were driven to the shores of Iceland 
by a great storm. After a time they found their way back 
to their homes. Word of the new country spread abroad, 
and soon several boatloads of Northmen went to Iceland 
and remained there. 

Such a long journey as that from Norway to Iceland was 
not easy to make in those days. The compass had not 

5 



6 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



come into use. The sailors knew in which direction they 
were sailing only when they could see the stars or the sun. 
In times of storm they had to trust to good luck to keep 
them on the right course. There were no maps to aid 
sailors. Little of the world was known, as you will find 
when you read the next chapter. 




Ships of the Viking;s. 

In vessels like these the !ii:ive Xdisenieii iiuide many long voyages. 



From Iceland, one l:)old Norseman, Eric the Red, sailed 
in search of other lands. It was in the short Arctic summer, 
and he discovered in the northern seas a beautiful grass- 
covered country which he called Greenland. The Vikings 
were used to cold countries, and it was not long before many 
of them settled along the shores of Greenland, cold and deso- 
late at any season except the summer. 

In the year 1000 Leif Ericson, the son of Eric the Red, 
also set out on a voyage of discovery. After a long sail he 



THE NORSEMEN AND LEIF ERICSON 



reached a land that seemed strange to the Northmen 
because, mstead of the ice and snow and dreary weather 
that they were accustomed to, they saw green trees, tall 
grass, and beautiful flowers. They went ashore and found 
grapes hanging in great clusters on vines growing in the 
woods. For that reason they called the country Vinland, 
meaning Vineland. 




Discoveries of the Vikings about 1000 a.d. 

On this map may he tracod the route followed by Leif Erifson. 

Leif Ericson sailed back to Greenland after a short stay 
in Vinland, and after his father's death became chief of the 
Greenland colony. Because of his many adventures and 
his good fortune, he was called Leif the Lucky. 

During the next few years the Northmen made several 
attempts to plant colonies in Vinland. One man and his 
followers, after staying there three years, became discouraged 
because of the unfriendly natives and sailed back to his home 
in Greenland. We now know these natives by the name of 
Indians, but the Norsemen called them Skraellings, 



8 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The land that Leif Ericson discovered was North America. 
We are not sure where he and his companions landed, but 
it is thought that it was somewhere along what is now called 
Massachusetts Bay. Although there was no result of any 
value from Leif Ericson's journeys, he was the first white 
man known to have reached North America. We may well 
remember him for that reason. It was nearly five hundred 
years before a voyage to the new world was again made by 
sailors from Europe. From that date, 1492, we shall take 
up the study of the history of our country. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why do you think the Norsemen loved the sea? 
II. Give as many reasons as you can why the Norsemen could not 

sail far from land. 
III. Why were the discoveries of Leif Ericson not important in our 
history? 



PERIOD OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION, 
1492—1607, 115 YEARS 

CHAPTER III 
THE NEW WORLD; A LAND OF FREEDOM 

While studying this book try to put yourself in the place 
of each man or woman about whom you are reading. If 
you do this you will be better able to understand why Colum- 
bus made his voyages, why John Smith helped in setthng the 
new country, and why other leaders did the work that 
helped in tune to make our country " the land of the free 
and the home of the brave." 

Try, too, as you read, to see how the work of one man 
made it possible for others to do what they did. It should 
be easy to see why explorers sailed to America after Colum- 
bus returned with the great news that a new land lay in the 
ocean far to the west of Europe. After the explorers came 
the settlers, seeking freedom in religion and government, 
which they did not have in the old world. 

Through pictures and through stories about the life and 
deeds of leaders in American history you can get very well 
acquainted with them. You may be able to picture them 
as they went about their daily tasks, and if you think care- 
fully you will discover reasons for what they did in discovery 
and exploration, and later in the development of our country. 

Columbus and the other great explorers of America lived 
about four centuries ago. That may seem a long time to 

9 



10 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

you, but it is not long as we measure the life of man and his 
work on the earth. Some men Hve to be nearly one hun- 
dred years old. The lives of four such men would about 
equal the length of time that has passed since our country 
was first found by Columbus. 

It took nearly two hundred years to explore the coast and 
the principal rivers that led inland in America. This seems 
a long time when we think that now a man may go from 
New York to London in about six days, or in a much 
shorter time in an aeroplane. A conversation may even 
be carried on by wireless telephone between cities in America 
and cities in Europe. As you learn about early explorations, 
compare the past with the present as to means of travel 
and the sending of messages. 

Through study of the work of men like Coliunbus others 
were enabled to learn more and more about America. 
Finally, the people of Europe came to know so much about 
the new world that many began to think that men and 
women might make homes there as good as or better than 
their European homes. This was, as you will learn, the 
beginning of the period of settlement. 

Men may be tied down by customs in government, in 
religion, and in other matters. As you study the lives of 
the early leaders, note their efforts to free themselves from 
various forms of bondage. Find out, too, the meaning of 
opportunity and then explain, as you study the different 
stories, why America has been a " Land of Opportunity " 
for so many people. 



CHAPTER IV 

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS AND 
DISCOVERIES 

We must understand something about conditions in 
Europe during the last half of the fifteenth century before 
we begin the study of what Christopher Columbus did, and 
why he did it. If you should read a history of Europe of 
this period, you would find that many of the cities of 
southern Europe, especially Genoa, Italy, had built up a very 
prosperous trade with India and other sections of the East, 
as it was known then. This commerce was carried on 
mostly by way of the Black and Caspian Seas. You will 
see from the map that this route led by Constantinople. 

Trade prospered until the Turks captured Constantinople 
in 1453. They were not friendly to the people of Europe. 
As soon as they had possession of Constantinople they shut 
off all trade by way of the Black Sea and by other routes. 
This was a very serious matter to those cities that depended 
largely on their Eastern trade. What were they to do? 

You, who have seen maps and globes showing the world 
as it really is, could easily answer this question. You can 
find many ways of getting to India besides going through 
the Black Sea or overland through western Asia. But it 
was a very difficult matter to settle at that time because it 
was not known that the world is round. No one had sailed 
far out on the ocean. The maps of that time showed only a 
small part of Europe, a little of Asia, and northern Africa, 

n 



12 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



Many stories were told of the terrible monsters that lived 
in the ocean, and pictures of some of these imaginary ani- 
mals were placed on the maps. One of these pictures is 
shown on the next page. If you examine it, you will know 

why the sailors were 
afraid to venture far 
out to sea. 

Most men thought 
the world was flat, 
and surrounded by 
an ocean. A few be- 
lieved the world to 
be round, as we know 
it to be, but they 
thought it was much 
smaller than it really 
is. Their writings 
and the maps they 
made show us that 
even these wise men 
thought there was 
but one ocean be- 
tween Western Eu- 
Christopher Columbus." rope and Asia. They 

His great discovery opened a new world for exploration had UCVer thoUght 
and settlements. r i.u 1 i i • u 

01 the land winch 
is our home. The Norsemen did not know what they 
had discovered, five hunched years before this tmie, 
nor did the other peoples of Europe know of their explor- 
ations. 

Columbus believed as these few learned men did. He 
was born in Genoa, and when only a boy he showed a strong 
desire for a seaman's life. He entered the University of 




CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 



13 



Pavia at the age of ten. At that school he learned a great 
deal about navigation. After leaving the University he 
spent some time sailing the Mediterranean Sea. Later he 
sailed on Portuguese vessels along the coast of Western 
Europe as far north as Iceland, and southward along the 
west coast of Africa. 




Ancient Trade 
Routes 



About this time sailors began to use the compass. It 
was a great aid to navigators because the direction could 
always be known, no matter how dark or foggy the weather. 
The sailors of this period had, therefore, a great advantage 
over the Norsemen or Vikings. 

Born by the sea, educated for the sea, always a student 
of navigation, and with many years of experience, it is no 
wonder that Columbus wished to find a new route for trading 



14 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



mth India. Not only was he anxious to do this, but he 
beUeved he knew how to do it. 

He beheved, with many of the learned men of Italy, that 
by sailing west he could reach the lands in the East. In 
order to accomplish this great undertaking, however, 
Columbus was obliged to seek aid from someone who had 
money to fit out vessels and to pay sailors to man them. 

He first placed his plans before men in Italy, but they 
gave him no encouragement. He then went to King John 












This map shows how Columbus (not knowing that America lay in the way) 
hoped to reach Asia and the East Indies by sailing west. 



of Portugal, who called learned men together to hear Colum- 
bus explain his ideas of the shape of the world, and how one 
could reach the East by sailing west. They were so far 
from being convinced, however, that they ridiculed him and 
asked if he thought people on the other side of the world 
could walk about with their heads hanging down. 

After his failure in Portugal, Columbus went to King 
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Seven years passed 
before he could persuade the King and Queen to give him 
ships to cross the ocean. At last he convinced Queen Isa- 
bella that he was right, and she promised to pledge her 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 



15 



jewels, if necessary, to help fit out ships for the great 
voyage. 

It was very difficult to find men to sail the ships. They 
believed that they would be lost if they sailed too far to the 
West. It was necessary for the King to order some sailors 




The Caravels of Columbus. 

to go on the ships. Convicts were released from prison to 
complete the crews. 

Finally all was in readiness, and on August 3, 1492, Colum- 
bus left the port of Palos with three vessels, the Pinta, the 
Nina., and the Santa Maria. The Santa Maria, Columbus' 
flag-ship, was the largest. It was about ninety feet long 
and twenty feet wide. In the picture of these vessels you 
may see that they were open, with small decks. The 
sailors had very Uttle protection in stormy weather. It is 



16 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

not surprising that men were afraid to go on such a voyage 
as Columbus planned, into an unknown sea, with vessels 
which were so small that we wonder now how they with- 
stood the waves. 

The first stop was at the Canary Islands, where it was 
necessary to stay three weeks to repair one of the ships. On 
September 6th, a fresh start was made, and from then for 
over a month the little vessels sailed steadily westward. 
Great tracts of seaweed were met. The sailors were afraid 
they would be caught in these weeds and would have to 
remain there and die. As the wind blew always towards 
the west they were frightened, because it seemed to them 
that they would never be able to return. They were also 
afraid of the great monsters that they had always heard 
about. 

After weeks had passed without signs of land, the discon- 
tent became so great that some of the men threatened to 
mutiny. Columbus, hopeful even in these trying days, 
urged them on by his strong will and words of encourage- 
ment. Finally, the air became bahiiy and floating sticks 
and bushes in the water showed them that land must be near. 
Queen Isabella had offered a prize to the man who first 
sighted land, and Columbus had promised to give him a 
velvet coat. After such a long voyage with its unrest and 
fear, and with the hope now of winning the Queen's prize, 
all were eager to see land. At last, one evening a sailor 
shouted " Land! " He had seen a light, — a torch carried by 
someone on the shore. On the following morning Colum- 
bus and some of the members of the crews of each vessel 
landed. An impressive ceremony followed. Unfurling a 
banner they took possession of the country in the name of 
Spain. The land, which proved to be an island, they called 
San Salvador. 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 



17 



America was discovered October 12, 1492. The voyage had 
taken 49 days of actual saiUng. This seems very long when 
we think of the trip made by two airmen in the sunmier of 
1919, when the voyage across the Atlantic took but 16 hours. 

Where is the Island of San Salvador? Columbus thought 
it was north of Japan. We can see how far from correct his 
map was when we consider that San Salvador is more than 




Columbus' Landing. 

Followed by his men, dressed in their finest uniforms, Columbus landed and took possession 
of the land in the name of the King and Queen of Spain. 

8000 miles from Japan. He saw no signs of golden-roofed 
palaces, inhabited by people dressed in beautiful silks such 
as he had read were to be found in Japan. He found only 
a savage race of people who lived in homes like tents and 
went about almost naked. They had never seen boats with 
sails before, and were frightened by Columbus' ships, which 
they thought were great birds. 

Within a short time the little fleet left San Salvador and 



18 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

cruised about searching for Japan and its wonders. During 
this voyage Columbus discovered Cuba and Haiti. As he 
thought all these lands were a part of India, he called the 
group of islands the West Indies and the natives of the 
islands Indians. 

On Christmas morning the Santa Maria was wrecked on 
a sand bank off the coast of Haiti. As the Pinta had already 
deserted, Columbus was left with but one vessel. With the 
timbers of the wrecked Santa Maria he built a fort near the 
coast, leaving forty men there with guns and provisions. 
He then sailed for home where he arrived on March 12, 1493. 

A great welcome awaited the man who had been given 
up for lost. As he had been away seven months, few thought 
that he would ever return. Columbus, who had been ridi- 
culed and laughed at, was now greeted as a hero. The King 
and Queen showered honors upon him at their court. They 
gave him the title of " Don," and, rejoicing in his success, 
were never weary of hearing about the strange people and 
things which he had found in the new land. 

It was not as difficult to get men for a second voyage under- 
taken by Columbus as it had been for the first one. In 
September, 1493, a fleet of seventeen vessels carrying fifteen 
hundred men set forth. As before, they sailed westward, 
expecting to join the little group left by Columbus at San 
Salvador. To their grief, however, they found only the 
ruins of the fort when they reached there, and no trace of 
the men. They cruised about, discovered Jamaica, landed 
on the islands of Haiti and Porto Rico, and established the 
colony of Hispaniola, or " Little Spain," on Haiti. They 
spent nearly three years in searching here and there for the 
treasures that they felt sure were to be found in the new 
land, but they returned empty-handed to Spain. 

There was then no such welcome as when Columbus 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND HIS EXPLORATIONS 



19 



returned the first time. The Spanish people expected gold 
and lost faith in Columbus when he was not successful in 
finding it. He was thought to be a fraud. 

Queen Isabella still had faith in him, however, and 
encouraged him to make another trial. In 1498 he set forth 
on his third voyage. On this trip he discovered the main- 
land of South America, and sailed along the northern coast, 
always in search of the great treasures of India and China. 
He cruised about among the West Indies and visited the 
colony of Hispaniola. There Columbus found discontent 
among the colonists. The Governor falsely accused him, 
put him in chains, and sent him back to Spain. The Queen, 
however, was very indignant at his treatment and released 
him. 

By this time Columbus was old and discouraged because 
he had not found a short route to India, nor the treasures 
of the eastern world. But 
Queen Isabella still believed in 
him, and, in 1502, sent him out 
on a fourth voyage. This time 
he met with even greater mis- 
fortunes than before. One of his 
vessels was wrecked. He and 
his men nearly starved. 

He returned to Spain broken 
in health, to find his good friend. 
Queen Isabella, dead. The king 
paid no attention to him. He 
was ignored by those to whom 
his discoveries later brought 
great wealth and distinction. 
He gave a new world to Spain, but died, in 1506, believing 
he had reached the Indies. 




Americus Vespucius. 

America was so named because of this 
man's book about the new land. 



20 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Columbus' efforts made Spain one of the wealthiest and 
most important countries of Europe. Building up a great 
trade with the colonies that he planted in the new world, 
she soon found the longed-for land of gold in South America 
and Mexico. 

As all Europe profited by the discoveries of Columbus, 
you might well suppose that the new country would have 
been called by his name, but he did not get even that honor. 
Another man, named Americus Vespucius, a Florentine 
navigator, made a voyage to the new world in 1501, and 
upon his return to Europe wrote an account of his travels. 
People soon afterwards began to call the new country 
America, after the author of this book. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. How do we know the world is round? 
II. Why did Columbus need to be a good sailor? 

III. What would you have thought if you had been living in Colum- 

bus' time and had heard his plans? 

IV. ^Vliy was it liard for him to obtain money for his voyage? 
V. Did Columbus do what he wished to do? Explain. 

VI. ^Yhat do you mean by exi:)lorations? 
VII. Wliy was Columbus honored at first and then ill treated? 
VIII. Do you think Columbus was a great man? Why? 



CHAPTER V 

PROJECT— DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE, DIS- 
COVERY AND VICTORIOUS RETURN 

By Mabel L. Bennett, Union County, X. J. 

Teacher's Aim: 

To show the idca^, plans, and aims of Cohunbus and how they were 
received by the people of his time. To give the pupils a vivid picture 
of the manners and customs of that period, and so arouse a keen interest 
in history. 

Children's Aim: 

To write a play to be given on some particular occasion. 
Motivation : 

Let us make believe we are play writers and actors and wTite a play 
about Columbus. 

Procedure : 

Lesson I. — Give an oral English lesson with the purpose of having 
pupils decide upon plan of writing a play for some occasion. 

Lesson II. (This may take several lessons.) — Plan how to do it; plan 
scope of play and material needed. 

Lesson HI. — Divide class into groups. Give each group a very 
definite assignment, the report of which is to be given on a certain date. 

Lesson IV. (and as many more as are needed) — Have groups report. 
Let pupils decide, at the end of each report, what material can be used 
in the play. 

Le.ssons IX, X. (or whatever number it may be). — Let the play be 
written by groups or by class as a whole as a board exercise. 

Give the play for a special occasion. 

After play is given, have a class discussion, bringing out how the 
presentation of the play might be improved if it is to be given again. 

21 



22 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

This project affords excellent opportunity for correlation in oral and 
written English and in Drawing. For instance, a plan of the stage 
showing the arrangement of the furniture, position of characters in the 
opening tableau, etc., would be very interesting material for a drawing 
lesson or two. Instances of the correlation of oral and written Enghsh 
have already been given. 

MODEL PLAY 

Costumes and Stage Furniture arranged by the pupils 

Courtiers — Bloomers, capes, men's soft hats with plumes. 

King and Queen — Velvet and brocades (masquerade costume). 

Indians — Indian suits. 

Throne — Chairs covered with velvet hangings. 

Forest — Ferns, palms, rubber plant. 

Act I 

Scene — Court of Spain. 

Characters — Ferdinand, Isabella, Columbus, courtiers, page. 

Page — (blowing trumpet) A summons from their Majesties, King Ferdi- 
nand and Queen Isabella, that the nobles of the land assemble in the 
court one hour hence. 
Court assembles. 

King — Most noble gentlemen, the purpose of this meeting is to hear the 
plans of a certain man called Columbus, who claims that he knows 
how to reach the East in a new and wonderful way. 

Page — (enters) ' T is Columbus, Your Majesty. 

King — Bring the gentleman to the court. 

Page — (enters, followed by Columbus). 

Columbus — Your Majesties. 

(Columbus falls before the king and queen in reverence, and 
bows low to the lords.) 

Columbus — A thousand thanks, Your Majesty, for this opportunity to 
present to this glorious court a plan that will make this country the 
richest in the world. great and wonderful King, every nation will 
envy you, but none will ri^'al your power and wealth. 

Kiii{i — Let us hear this wonderful plan of yours, Columbus. 

Columbus — Not many years ago the fierce Turks captured Constanti- 
nople, and since then the.se robbers have made it impossible for the 



PROJECT DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE 23 

Christian nations to trade with the East. Our only hope is to find 
a new route to the Indies. I believe the earth is round and that if 
we sail west we will reach the Indies without any great difficulty. 

Courtier — What makes you think the world is round, Columbus? 

Columbus — Ever since I was a small boy, I have watched the boats at sea, 
and I have noticed, noble gentlemen, that the ship does not dis- 
appear as a whole, but that at first the hull is lost to view, then the 
deck, then the lower part of the sails, and finally the top masts. This 
could happen only if the world were round. 

Courtier — If a ship sails down hill as it goes across the ocean, can it sail 
up hill to get back to port? 

Courtier — What a crazy idea! If the earth is round, do the people on the 
other side of the world walk with their heads down? 

Courtier — Ha! Ha! Do the trees in that land grow with their roots in the 
air? 

Courtier — What a funny idea! In that opposite land do the rain and snow 
fall up instead of down? You're a crazy fellow! 

Columbus — You may laugh at my plan, but I know I am right. I believe 
that by saihng across the western sea I will reach the rich country 
of China. 

Courtier — Be careful, Columbus, remember that huge dragon in the Sea 
of Darkness that could swallow you at one gulp; yes, swallow you 
and your whole ship, too. 

Courtier — Before you get out very far that great bird will swoop down 
upon you, and carry you away in its claws and drop you over the 
edge of the world. 

Courtier — How will you pass through the place where the water is boiling 
and where the fogs are so black you can't see your hand before your 
face? No! No! your plan is worse than foolish. 

Columbus — You may think my plan foolish, but I have been reading 
Marco Polo's wonderful book, and to obtain the riches of that 
country I would be willing to risk my life on the Sea of Darkness. 

Courtier — It is indeed a wonderful country and the plan is worth con- 
sidering, but I think this fellow is crazy, nevertheless. 

Columbus — Then too, I feel that I have been chosen by Heaven to find 
this new route, and to convert the people of these lands to our 
Christian faith. It is a great work, noble gentlemen. 

Queen— It is indeed a great work, Columbus, and I trust that you may 
accomplish your task and meet with the greatest success. 



24 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

King — If this court should help you in this undertaking, what are the 

rewards you would tleniand? 
Culumhiis — Just three fa^'ors I ask. First: that I be made Admiral of 
the Seas. 

Second: that I be made governor of the lands I discover, and 

Third : that one-tenth of the gold and silver found shall be mine. 
Courtier — One-tenth of the gold and silver! No, indeed! 
Courtier — Why should this foreigner be granted these honors? 
Queen — ' Tis a noble undertaking and worthy of our support. 
King (to Queen) — But, ni}'- dear, the Treasury is low. (To Columbus) 

Your plan is worthy of consideration and within a few days we will 

inform you of our decision. 
Columbus — Veiy well. Your Majesty, a thousand thanks lor your gracious 

kindness. 

(Withdraws.) 
Courtier — The fellow's crazy! 
Courtier — ^Vliat foolish schemes! 

Courtier — This fellow from Italy is very modest in his demands. 
Xing — The court is dismissed. 

Act II 

Scene — On board Santa Maria. 

Characters — Columbus, Sailors. 

(Sailors gathered on deck, some sitting, others standing — faces 
express gloom and despair.) 

First Sailor — Water, water, water ever.\Tvhere and not a sign of land ! 

Second — I'm sick and tired of this everlasting water. For nine weeks 
now we've been sailing west and farther west, but we never get any- 
where. We'll all be crazy before that dreamer changes his mind. 

Third — It's awful. I don't wonder our wives and children cried when 
we left Palos. We'll never get back home and I'd rather be dead 
than keep on. 

Fourth — Just think of what we've gone through. In the first place that 
compass doesn't point to the North Star. I know we've been given 
a reason for it, but I don't believe it any more than I believe the 
earth is round. Something awful will happen to us before long. 

Fifth — Of course it will. So far, the great dragon has been asleep, but 
if we strike another bed of sea-weed, we'll be gobbled up, ship and all. 



PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE 25 

First — We've been disappointed many times. Do you remember that 

night when we thought we saw land, and how we stayed on deck till 

morning, only to discover that we had been fooled by a cloud? 
Second — Indeed, I do, and I remember how that stubborn captain of 

ours refused to make any change in his plan, but was determined to 

sail west, and sail west he did. 
Third — Yes, and I remember how he threatened to put us in chains if we 

didn't obey. 
Fourth — Let's throw him overboard. 

Fifth — But what would we do without him, for he really is a fine sailor? 
First — Yes, he is a good sailor, but I am so tired of hearing him say, 

" Sail on! Sail on! " whenever we ask him what to do to reach shore. 
Cry — Land birds! Land birds! (All gaze after birds.) 
Second — I wish those birds would carry me with them. They'll soon 

reach shore. 
Third — Let's follow them. 

Fifth — Who'll ask Columbus to change his course? 
Fourth — I'm ready. 

(Columbus enters and he, too, gazes after birds.) 
O Columbus, those birds are flying to shore? Won't you turn 
your course and follow them? 
Columbus — But I know we will reach the Indies if we keep on due west^ 
Fourth — Perhaps those birds will reach a nearer land. 
Columbus — But I want to reach the Indies. 
Sailor (aside) — The stubborn thing. 
Sailor (aside) — Let's throw him overboard. 
Fourth — We'll be crazy if we don't reach land soon. Nine weeks on this 

Sea of Darkness is enough to drive anyone insane. We beg you to 

change j^our course. 
All — Yes, yes, you must change your course! 
Columbus — But I'm sure we'll reach the Indies soon. 
Sailors — Follow the birds! Change your course! Change your course! 
Columbus (to himself) — That slight change will make verj^ little difference 

in the end. If it will satisfy these men, I guess I'll do it. (To 

men) — Very well, my men, we'll turn our course a little to the south 

and follow the birds. Then I hope you'll be satisfied and that there 

will be no more grumbling. Exit Columbus. 
Sailors — Hurrah! Now we'll soon reach land. 



26 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



Act III 

Scene — Tropical Shore of America. 

Characters — Columbus — Three Spanish Noblemen — Sailors — Indians. 
Indian — (with eyes shaded and looking off in the distance calls to other 
Indians, busy in the forest.) 

My brothers, my brothers, look! Off in the distance I see a 
wonderful bird with great white wings. (All Indians come 
near the shore.) 
Indian — It is coming nearer! How large it is! (All stand gazing.) 
Indian — How strange! A boat full of people is coming from the bird. 
Indian — The Great Spirit must be sending a message to his children. 

Let us watch in secret. (Indians find shelter behind trees.) 
Indian — What pale faces they have! (Indians retreat further into forest; 
a grating sound is heard and into view come Columbus with noble- 
men and sailors carrying banners, spear, etc.) (All fall to their 
knees, kiss the ground in joy and sing the Doxology.) (Indians creep 
nearer.) 
Columbus — (Smiting the ground with his sword.) To this beautiful land, 
I give the name of San Salvador. 
(Planting the flag.) 

In the name of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and of Spain, I 
take possession of this land and of all the lands bordered by this 
mighty sea. 

(All members of party crowd around Columbus ; some embrace 
him; others kiss his hand and kneel before him. 
First — Oh, great and noble Columbus! 
Second—My brave captain! 
Third — Forgive, I pray thee, all my disobedience. 
Fourth — Always, through every danger will I follow thee. 
Fifth — Long live Columbus! 
All — Long live Columbus! Long live Columbus! 

(Indians come nearer and gaze in wonder at palefaces and bow 
before them.) 
Indian — Welcome, brother, welcome. 
Indian — Paleface friends, the redskins bid you welcome. 
Indian — O white visitors from the skies, may the Great Spirit be kind to 
his children who welcome you to their homes. 



PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE 27 

Columbus — Many thanks, kind friends. 

(Turning to Spaniards) — Before dispersing let us salute our 
flag and sing our national anthem. 
All — (Salute flag and sing.) 

Act IV 

Scene — Spanish Court. 

Characters — Queen Isabella with ladies-in-waiting; King Ferdinand with 
guards, noblemen, Indians, sailors, page, Columbus. 
Stately Assembling of court — Music. 
Sailors enter each carrying some object, — bird, cotton, gold, etc., 

from the new world. 
Indians enter, arrayed in feathers and paint, and take places 
near sailors. 

Columbus — (Enters, preceded by page carrying banner — bows low before 
the king and kneeling before the queen, kisses her hand.) O most 
noble monarchs, through God's providence, we have been permitted 
to return to our homeland, and with grateful hearts we present to 
this great nation and to Your Majesties all lands of the western world. 

King — (Extending hand.) Arise, Columbus; so great a discoverer is 
indeed worthy of our highest respect and esteem. We invite you 
to sit with us and relate your wonderful adventures. 

Queen — (Extending hand.) Yes, Columbus, our hearts are full of thanks- 
giving to God for your safe return. We rejoice in your success and 
welcome you most heartily to our court. 

Columbus — A thousand thanks. Your Majesties, for this gracious recep- 
tion, and with great delight will I make known to you the story of 
my adventures. 

King — Be seated, Columbus. 

Columbus— Many thanks, O noble king— (Pause). After leaving Palos, 
on Aug. 3, we sailed to the Canary Islands, then turned our course 
due west. For many weeks we sailed. The weather was mild and 
the sea calm and smooth. There were days of discouragement, 
especially toward the last; but finally land was sighted on Oct. 12. 
Everyone rejoiced, for our task was finished and all fears removed. 
As quickly as possible we rowed ashore and claimed the land for 
Spain. 

King — Splendid! Did you find a promising country? 



28 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Columbus — ' Tis a wonderful land with sunny skies and balmy air. The 
forests are most luxuriant with palms and valuable woods. Among 
the trees are brilliant birds and curious animals. A few of these I 
have brought as gifts to Your Majesties. 

(Sailor carrying parrots comes forward.) 

Queen — (Examines them — as do king and ladies-in-waiting.) 
What gorgeous feathers! 

Lady — Beautiful ! 

Columbus — Listen carefully and you will hear these birds speak. 

(He rubs their heads and one parrot calls, " Long live the king!" 
while another cries, " Long live the queen! ") 

King — Wonderful ! 

Lady — How extraordinary! 

Columbus — (As sailor brings up basket of fruit and flowers.) This is a 
small collection of the fruits and flowers. 

Queen — What beautiful colors! 

Lady — How sweet they are! 

Columhxis — The plains are covered with fields of cotton. (Sailor displays 
cotton.) 

King — Good! 

Columbus — Here are some of the ornaments worn by the natives. (Sailor 
shows ornaments; others examine them.) 

Queen — What odd bracelets! 

Lady — How unicjue! 

Lady — ^Isn't this chain interesting? 

King — Did you find any gold mines? 

Columbus — The time was short and our explorations were near the coast. 
We found no mines, but the Indians told us of seven wonderful cities 
to the west, full of gold, silver, and precious stones. 

Ki)ig — Were the natives friendly? 

Columbus — When first we landed, they were afraid and hid in the bushes; 
but when they found that we did not want to harm them, they grew 
friendly. They marveled at our white skin and thought us visitors 
from the skies. Three of these people have returned with us to 
Spain to be baptized into our faith. 

Queen — ' Tis a noble work you have done, Columbus. 

(Indians come forward — bow low to the queen and king.) 

Lady — Wliat red skins and black hair they have! 

i/ad?/— How strange their dress! Isn't it picturesque? 



PROJECT — DRAMATIZATION OF COLUMBUS' VOYAGE 29 

King — Their weapons are very simple. 

Columbus — But they are expert marksmen, nevertheless. 
(Indians return to places.) 

Columbus — For several months we cruised about, but we were anxious 
to return to Spain with our report. As the Santa Maria was 
wrecked shortly before we left we built a fort on Hispaniola and 
left a few men to guard it. The rest of us embarked in the Pinta 
and Nina. Because of a terrific storm we were driven far apart and 
did not see each other again untU we met m the harbor of Palos. 

Queen — God's providence is surely marvelous. 

King — Arise, Columbus, and kneel before us while this court expresses 
its appreciation of your services. (Columbus kneels and the king 
drawing his sword strikes Columbus on the shoulder.) I herewith 
name thee Admiral of the Seas, a Spanish Don, and Governor of 
all the lands thou dost discover. 

(The Court pays homage to Columbus and then in great state passes 
from the throne room.) 

References and Supplementary Reading 

America's Story for American Children Mara L. Pratt 

Life of Columbus Washington Irving 

Columbus Joaquin Miller 

"Columbus Song," taken from " 1492. " 

The True Story of Christopher Columbus E. S. Brooks 

Life of Christopher Columbus for Boys and Girls G. W. Moores 



CHAPTER VI 
JOHN CABOT AND ENGLAND'S CLAIM IN AMERICA 

The news of the attempts of Columbus to find a new 
route to India and China was taken to England by mer- 
chants' ships traveling to that country. In those times 
this was the only means by which news could travel. There 
was no telephone, telegraph, nor cable to carry a message 
from Spain to England, or even around the world, in a few 
minutes, as they now do. The English king, Henry VII, 
was much interested when he heard of the great discovery. 
He thought that his country should share in the wealth that 
this new route to the East would make available. 

At this time there was living in England an Italian who 
was ready to undertake such a voyage as the king desired. 
His name was John Cabot. He was born in Genoa, where 
Columbus had been born a few years earlier, spent a part 
of his life in Venice, and from the merchants there learned 
a great deal about China. He had also traveled in Arabia, 
where he had seen great caravans loaded with the spices and 
rich goods produced in the East. Because of this he had a 
strong desire to visit China and India. 

The king turned to John Cabot when he heard of the 
voyages of Columbus. Cabot readily agreed to take com- 
mand of a ship to sail for the new land. In May, 1497, one 
vessel commanded by Cabot, accompanied by his son 
Sebastian and eighteen men, set sail from Bristol. You 
may see by looking at the map that the route followed by 

30 



JOHN CABOT AND ENGLAND S CLAIM IN AMERICA 



31 



Cabot was far north of that followed by Columbus. He 
sailed westward, and on June 24 sighted the coast of 
Labrador. He named the country New-found-land, and 
claimed it in the name of the king of England. He then 
returned home, thinking he had landed on the eastern coast 




The Type of Vessels used by John Cabot, 

of Asia. He did not find the new route to China that he 
was searching for, but he did establish for England a claim 
to vast regions in the new world. For his services he was 
given ten pounds, or about fifty dollars, by the king, and 
was paid a small pension by the city of Bristol. Honored 
by the king and people, he was known as the Great Admiral. 
Another voyage was undertaken by Cabot in 1498. 



32 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



With a fleet of five or six vessels he explored the coast of 
North America as far south as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 
Sebastian Cabot and a pilot of one of the ships each made a 
map of the coast which they explored. These maps, which 
were the first ever made of this region, are still in existence. 




The light portions on the eastern coast of North America show the discoveries 
made by the Cabots, 



John Cabot was lost on this voyage. In fact, only one 
of the ships ever reached England again. Sebastian Cabot, 
on his return, reported seeing great quantities of codfish 
near the coast of Newfoundland. This was of interest to 
Bristol, which was an important fishing town. The fish- 
eries later established near Newfoundland, as a result of 
Cabot's report, have grown to be the greatest in the world. 

King Henry, who wanted the wealth of China and India, 



JOHN CABOT AND ENGLAND'S CLAIM IN AMERICA 33 

lost all interest when Cabot did not find it. It was 
over fifty years before any more attempts were made by 
England to explore the new land. When, however, Eng- 
land again turned her attention to the new world, she based 
her claims wholly upon Cabot's explorations. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What were the chief reasons for the explorations of the Cabots? 
II. What was learned from their journeys? 
III. What country profited most from the journeys of the Cabots? 

Why? 



CHAPTER VII 
JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND THE FABLED FOUNTAIN 

For a number of years after Columbus made his voyages, 
the Spanish people suffered no interference with their 
explorations in the new ivorld, as it soon came to be called. 
As you have seen, the English king lost interest as soon as 
Cabot failed to bring back gold and other treasures. It 
was over fifty years before any other English explorers made 
voyages to America. But, in the meantime, the Spanish 
explorers were busy establishing colonies and exploring in 
different parts of the new world. As they were in search of 
wealth, few of them tried to build homes where they might 
live. They wanted to get rich quickly. Some of them did, 
as we shall see, but many lost their lives in their efforts to 
conquer the Indians whose property they were seeking to 
take away. 

Colonies were soon established on various islands of the 
West Indies. This made it easy to fit out armies and take 
them to different parts of the country to explore or conquer 
as they wished. 

Some of the governors of the different islands already 
were rich men. .\mong them was Juan Ponce de Leon, 
governor of Porto Rico. He came over with Columbus on 
his second voyage. He had heard from men who had made 
voyages to the country north of Porto Rico that they had 
seen people living on fine fruits and other foods which grew 
without cultivation. They also told him that the natives 
were rich — that they possessed beautiful jewels and much 

34 



JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND THE FABLED FOUNTAIN 35 

gold. Best of all, however, to de Leon, who was now an 
old man, the travelers told hmi of a fountain, the waters 
of which would bring back a man's youth, if he bathed in 
them. Fully believing this fable, he fitted out three fine 
ships, and, in 1513, set sail for the land of the wonderful 
fountain. 

We wonder now how de Leon could have believed such a 
story, but men of that time were ready to accept any tale 
of the new land. They had read many stories of China and 
India which were supposed to be true, — stories as strange 
as this legend of the fountain of youth. 

On Easter Sunday, 1513, de Leon caught his first view of 
a new land of beautiful groves of trees and many flowers 
growing in the tall rich grass. Because of these flowers 
and because he found the new land on Easter Sunday, 
which was called Pasqua Florida, or Flowery Easter, he 
named the land Florida. 

His landing place was probably not far from the present 
city of St. Augustine. After several weeks spent in exploring 
along the coast, he was obliged, however, to go back to 
Porto Rico an older man than when he came, having found 
no fountain, as he had hoped. 

On a second voyage, in 1521, de Leon was wounded in a 
fight with the Indians. The men who managed to escape 
sailed with him for Cuba, where he died from the effects of 
his wound. De Leon's experience was like that of other 
Spaniards who placed personal gain ahead of a desire to 
build up and make a good use of the country. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What do you think of de Leon's reason for his voyage? 
II. What good result came from his explorations? 
III. For whom was de Leon working? 



CHAPTER VIII 

BALBOA AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS AND THEIR 

DISCOVERIES 



In the year in which de Leon discovered Florida, another 
Spaniard, Balboa by name, a governor of one of the Spanish 
colonies, visited an Indian village on the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama. He was told by the Indians of a great sea that lay 
to the south. He traveled to the new sea and discovered 
the greatest ocean of the earth, which, later on, in 1519, 

was called the Pacific by 
a Portuguese sailor named 
"Magellan. 

At the time of Balboa it 
was a great task to cross the 
narrow piece of land now 
known as the Isthmus of 
Panama, but in these days 
boats pass from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific Ocean through 
the great Panama Canal in 
eight hours. 

Magellan was sent out by 
Spain. Sailing through the 
strait that now bears his name, he went westward across 
the great ocean until he reached the islands off the Eastern 
coast of Asia. Taking possession of these islands for Spain, 
he named them the Philippines, after the Spanish king. 
They remained a Spanish possession until bought by the 

36 




Ferdinand Magellan. 

He was the first of the early explorers to make 
the voyage across the Pacific Ocean. 







VOYAGES 

AND 

SETTLEMENTS 

1492-1G07 



Cape Horn ^ 



^ 



BALBOA AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS 37 

United States in 1898. Magellan was killed in a fight with 
the natives on one of the Philippine Islands. One of his 
vessels continued on the voyage and finally reached home 
by sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. If you trace 
this first trip around the world on the globe, you will see 
that it proved w^hat Columbus had believed — that the 
world is round and that the East may be reached by sailing 
westward. It was by this voyage, too, that people came to 
know that Columbus had really found a new world and not 
just a part of Asia, as he thought. 

Hernando Cortez, a brave young soldier, heard in 1519 
of great wealth in Mexico. He fitted out a small army and 
set out to conquer the Aztecs, as the people of Mexico were 
called, and to take their riches. After many trials he suc- 
ceeded, in 1521, in taking the Aztec capital. Thus Mexico 
became a possession of Spain. In this case the report of 
wealth was true. The Spaniards found riches to satisfy 
their wildest dreams. Mexico has been free from Spanish 
rule for many years, but the Spanish language is still 
spoken, and Spanish customs are still followed in that 
country. 

Pizarro, one of the soldiers in the settlement of Panama, 
led an expedition to Peru in South America, where the Incas 
dwelt. Like the Aztecs, the Incas were half-civilized Indi- 
ans who had built many wonderful buildings and had 
gathered together great treasures of gold, silver, and jewels. 
The Spaniards showed no mercy to these people, using every 
means, no matter how unfair, to conquer them. When the 
ruler of the Incas was captured and killed, Pizarro and his 
followers gained the gold and treasures that they valued so 
much. He met the same fate, however, as many others 
who used their strength to injure the weak. He was killed 
in a quarrel with some of his followers. His conquest, like 



38 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

that of Cortez, added to Spain's share of the new world 
great areas with vast riches. 

Among the soldiers who helped Pizarro conquer the Incas 
was a young Spaniard named Hernando de Soto. He, like 
many others, became very rich through the conquest of 
Peru. Moreover, for his services the king of Spain gave him 
the governorship of Cuba. It would seem that he should 
have been satisfied ^vith these riches, and the honor of 
serving as Governor of Cuba, which at that time was a 
very important colony. But he was not. He wanted more 
wealth, and thought that he might find another Peru near 
the country explored by de Leon. In 1539 he took six 
hundred men with him and set sail to the coast of Florida 
where he landed and began his journey into the wilderness. 
He marched inland toward the North through what is now 
Florida and Georgia. He then turned to the West and 
passed through the present states of Alabama and Missis- 
sippi. It was a journey filled with hardships, and the 
treasures of gold for which he was always searching could 
not be found. The land tlu'ough which he passed was the 
home of many Indian tribes. His treatment of these 
Indians was the same as Pizarro's in Peru. De Soto pun- 
ished and killed without mercy. He forced Indians to be 
his slaves, and treated them worse than we would treat 
beasts. Indians were forced to act as guides, and if they 
disobeyed in any way, they were killed by horrible tortures. 
All this angered the natives, who sent messengers through- 
out the country to spread the news of the strange traveler 
whose only thought was to gain riches, no matter what the 
cost in human suffering. He was even cruel to the men in 
his army. He would not listen to pleadings to return when 
they saw what hardships they had to endure. After two 
years of wandering, they reached the banks of the Missis- 



BALBOA AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS 



39 



sippi River. This was in 1541. He did not know it, but 
he achieved more distinction by discovering this great river 
than great weaUh could ever have brought him. 




Discovery of the Mississippi River by De Soto, 



De Soto crossed the Mississippi and, still searching for 
gold, led his men northward and explored the country nearly 
as far as Missouri. Finally, tired out and discouraged, he 
turned back and started for home. He was taken ill before 
he had gone far and died with the thought that his journey 



40 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



had been a failure. He could think of success only as 
measured by one thing — gold. 

His followers dared not bury his body where the Indians 
would find it, because de Soto's cruel treatment of the 
Indians had made them all enemies. With their leader 
gone, the soldiers feared the Indians might attack and prob- 
ably kill them and so they lowered de Soto's body by night 




The Burial of De Soto in the Waters of the Great River that he Discovered. 



into the waters of the great river he had discovered. Then 
they set out on the long hard journey home. When they 
did finally reach Mexico, where other Spaniards had settled, 
only half of the proud army that started out remained. 
These three hundred men were worn out with hunger and 
nearly dead from hardships. They thought they had 
gained nothing, but a great discovery had been made, and 
Spain had established a claim to still another of the richest 
regions of the world. 



BALBOA AND OTHER SPANISH EXPLORERS 41 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Do you think any white man had seen the Pacific Ocean before 

Balboa did? Why was he called the discoverer of it? 
II. Why was Magellan's trip around the world important? 

III. What does the history of Cortez teach us about the desires of the 

Spanish in America? 

IV. Give as many reasons as you can why de Soto's journey was 

difficult. 
V. De Soto did not find what he was searching for but he has an impor- 
tant place in our history. Why? 



CHAPTER IX 

DRAKE: AN ENGLISH EXPLORER OF THE SIXTEENTH 

CENTURY 

As you have already learned, the Spanish sailors were 
about the only ones who explored and conquered the new 
world for many years after Columbus discovered it. Spain 
grew rich and powerful through the conquests of Mexico, 
Peru and other countries, and used this wealth later on to 
wage war against other countries in Eui'ope, particularly 
England. 

England had by the latter half of the sixteenth century 
become a great nation, and was Spain's chief rival in Europe. 
Anxious to have a share in the wealth of the new world, 
Queen Elizabeth was wilHng to lend her aid to English 
sailors who wished to compete with the Spaniards in getting 
this wealth. At this tune the laws of the sea were very lax, 
and, even in times of peace, it was not uncommon for an 
English ship to capture a Spanish vessel laden with treasures, 
rob it of food and valuables, and sail away. This was as 
true of other sailors as of the English. Today we should 
call such practice piracy. A pirate is punished with death 
if captured, but at that time the most successful sea rob- 
. bers became great men and received honors from their 
rulers. 

One of these English sailors who profited by trading with 
the Spanish colonies in the new world was John Hawkins. 
He made much money by bringing negroes over to this coun- 

42 



drake: an ENGLISH EXPLORER 43 

try from Africa and selling them as slaves to the Spanish. 
He is said to have been the first Englishman to engage in the 
negro slave trade with America. While on a voyage in 1567, 
his fleet was attacked by the Spanish and all but two boats 
were destroyed. 

With Hawkins on this unfortunate trip was a young 
cousin of his named Francis Drake. This young man, who 
was twenty-two years of age at this time, had been a sailor 
from youth and was as brave as he was a good sailor. 
Because he could not forgive the Spanish for the loss of his 
wealth in Hawkins' defeat, it was not 
long before he set out with a stout 
ship to capture as many Spanish 
treasureships as possible, and also to 
do what damage he could to the 
Spanish colonies in the new world. 
He succeeded in capturing many -^c^ 
vessels, and raided many Spanish „. ^ ■ t^ , 

' 111 ^^^ Francis Drake. 

coast settlements. Drake made three The first journey around the 
voyages through the West Indies and ^'^--i^ ^^« ""^^^ ^y this 

1 o( 1 brave sailor. 

along the coast of Mexico and South 
America, gathering a harvest of gold and spreading fear among 
the Spanish people as he went. On the third voyage he spent 
some time on the Isthmus of Panama, and while wandering 
over the Isthmus saw the Pacific ocean, which Balboa had 
discovered sixty years before. He resolved to sail that 
great ocean in an English ship. 

Upon his return to his home-land he was greatly honored 
by his queen. After remaining in England for some time, he 
set out again with a fleet in the hope of gaining some of the 
wealth of Peru. He finally succeeded in passing through 
the Strait of Magellan, but his own vessel, the " Golden 
Hind," was the only one that made the passage into the 




44 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Pacific. All the others were lost on the rocks, or deserted 
him when their sailors saw the dangers of the strait. 

Drake sailed northward and gathered vast treasures ^n 
Chile and Peru from the Spanish, who were taken by sur- 
prise and became easy prey for him both on land and sea. 
He is said to have seized nearly a million dollars' worth of 
treasure from one ship alone. 

After his adventures along the coast of South America, 
he sailed to the North and spent the winter of 1579 in what 
is now California. He claimed the land in the name of 
England, naming it New Albion. In the spring he continued 
his journey and finally, in late summer of 1580, reached 
England, having sailed completely around the world. 

You will agree that Drake was a hardy seaman when 
you know that he made all these journeys to the Spanish 
colonies and completed a three years' voyage around the 
world in a slow sailing ship of that time, all before he was 
forty years old. 

His services to his country did not close with this voyage, 
however, for in 1588 the Spanish king determined to put a 
stop to England's attacks on the Spanish-American trade. 
He fitted out a great fleet of vessels, called the Spanish 
Armada, and set out to invade England. Lord Howard 
commanded the English fleet against the Spanish, but Drake 
served under him as an important oflicer. The great sea 
fight resulted in the destruction of the Spanish fleet, and 
gave England the secure place on the seas which she has 
always held. She was thereafter " Mistress of the Seas." 

Later voyages of Drake were not so successful as his 
earlier ones. While on a voyage with his cousin. Sir John 
Hawkins, the Spaniards defeated them. Hawkins died 
from an illness which broke out among the sailors. Drake 
still kept on, but he, too, was taken ill, died, and was buried 



drake: an ENGLISH EXPLORER 45 

at sea. He was a brave sailor, and his efforts helped to 
make England a great sea power. This power made it easy 
for her to take a prominent place among European nations 
when the time came for English colonists to settle in 
America. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why do 3^011 think the Spanish gained so much in America before 
other countries began to colonize? 
II. What is meant by a pirate? 

III. Would you like to have been a sailor with Drake? 
IV. W^hj^ was Drake honored by his queen? 
V. Do you think Drake was a i^atriijt? 



CHAPTER X 

SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND HIS ATTEMPTS TO MAKE 
SETTLEMENTS IN AMERICA 

From the time of Sir Francis Drake England's interest 
in the new world rapidly increased. Spain had reaped a 
golden harvest from her conquests in America, for her trade 
with the colonies that she had established was very profit- 
able. Drake did some damage to Spanish commerce by 
raiding her colonies and destroying her ships, but it was left 
to others to build up for England colonies and trade that 
could compete with those of Spain. 

Besides the establishment of trading points for England 
in America, there were other reasons why Englishmen 
wanted to plant colonies there. They had the same hope 
as the Spanish, that there were gold and silver to be found. 
Moreover, as there were many people in England at that 
time who could find no work, it was thought that America 
would be a good place to which to send them. 

Sir Humphrey Gilbert first attempted in 1587 to plant a 
British colony in America, but he was unsuccessful. He 
made a second trial later, but two out of his three vessels 
were wrecked in a storm and he himself lost his life. 

Gilbert had a stepbrother named Walter Raleigh who 
took up the work of trying to colonize America for England 
after Gilbert '^s death. At the age of fifteen Raleigh entered 
Oxford University. He showed unusual ability in his 
studies, and, because of this and his gracious manners, he 
soon made many friends. He left the university after three 

46 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 



47 



years and fought in France, Holland, and Ireland. After 
his return to England his many accomplishments brought 
him to the notice of Queen Elizabeth. She was so pleased 
with his wit, charm, and learning that it was not long before 
he became a general favorite at her court. As she gave him 
many special privileges 
which brought him great 
wealth, we find him at 
the time of Gilbert's 
death well prepared to 
take up the work that 
Gilbert could not do. 
The queen had granted 
Gilbert a charter which 
gave him " the right to 
lay claun to any land 
in the West not actually 
possessed by a Chris- 
tian." This charter she 
now gave to Raleigh, 
who by its terms was 
made governor over all 
colonies he might estab- 
lish. The charter also 
granted the people who 
desired to go to America the same political and religious 
rights that they had in England. 

Raleigh thought it best to send out an exploring party 
to look over the land to find the best place for a settlement. 
Two ships set out in 1584. This expedition landed in the 
autumn on an island in Pamlico Sound in what is now 
North Carolina. They found the country beautiful with 
flowers, the climate warm, and fish and game in abundance. 




Queen Elizabeth. 

England's great queen helped in the efforts to make 
settlements in America. 



48 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



They explored Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and then 
returned to England. The report made to the queen so 
pleased her that she named the country in her own honor. 
As she was unmarried and had the title, " The Virgin 
Queen " she called the new land Virginia. 

Soon after the return of this expedition Raleigh sent out 
seven ships loaded with colonists. These men landed at 

Roanoke Island and estab- 
lished a colony. Unfortu- 
nately, the colonists did not 
like to work, and, instead 
of planting crops for food, 
they depended upon what 
they could get from the 
Indians. As they were not 
always fair, however, in 
their treatment of the In- 
dians, it was not long be- 
fore an unfriendly feeling 
grew up. It soon became 
difficult to get food and 
many colonists died the 
first winter. All would have probably perished if Sir 
Francis Drake had not happened along and taken the few 
survivors back to England. 

The colonists took with them two plants that they had 
found growing on Roanoke Island. One of these was the 
potato, which the English had never seen up to this time. 
The other plant was tobacco. The colonists had tried it 
and thought it worthy of being carried all the way to Eng- 
land. The potato has become an important food in many 
countries, and tobacco is used all over the world, in every 
land. 




Sir Walter Raleigh. 

Raleigh was a pioneer among those who 
attempted to settle America. 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 49 

In 1587 Raleigh made another attempt to make a settle- 
ment in America. This time he included women and chil- 
dren among his colonists. The expedition was under the 
command of Captain John White. These colonists also 
landed on Roanoke Island. A short time after they landed, 
the first Enghsh child was born in what is now the United 
States. The child was a grand-daughter of Captain White 
and was named Virginia Dare. She was born in 1587. 

After remaining with the colonists a short time, Captain 
White returned to England to report to Raleigh, and to get 
aid for the colony. He expected to return almost immedi- 
ately, but when he reached England he found everyone 
excited over the preparations to fight the Spanish Armada. 
It was not easy to provide ships and men to relieve the 
colony in the new world when England was in so much 
danger, and two years passed before White returned to 
America. When he reached Roanoke Island no trace 
could be found of the colonists. Their fate has always 
remained a mystery. 

Raleigh gave up the attempt to plant a colony in America 
after this failure. He had spent a fortune in his efforts to 
make a settlement in the new world but had failed to accom- 
pUsh his purpose. His example, however, and the lessons 
learned from his efforts encouraged other Enghsh people to 
try to settle in America, so that it was not long before many 
colonies were established. Through hard work and perse- 
verance the settlements throve and laid the foundations 
for the prosperous land which finally became the United 
States. 



50 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What were two reasons why the EngHsh wished to have colonies 

in America? 
II. Why did Raleigh send out an exploring party to look over the land? 

III. Why did his first colony not succeed? 

IV. Why are the potato and tobacco important plants? 

V. What good did Raleigh do even though he failed to start a perma- 
nent settlement in America? 



PERIOD OF SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, 
1607-1775, 168 YEARS 



CHAPTER XI 
SETTLEMENTS IN AMERICA 

In the story of Sir Walter Raleigh we learned of attempts 
to make settlements in America, His failures did not dis- 
courage others, but instead taught them to make better 
plans. Permanent settlements were finally established in 
Virginia and New England. 

Note the time and the nature of the homes made in the 
new world. Think of the strong men who helped to make 
these homes. They were the leaders of that period of his- 
tory called the Period of Settlement. 

As suggested in the first chapter of this book, you should 
become as well acquainted as possible with such men as 
John Smith, Myles Standish, and other leaders. Try to 
imagine yourself with them in their journeys on the sea, in 
their homes in America, and in their daily tasks in the little 
settlements that they helped to make. 

All men and women who came to America had good 
reasons that made them desire to leave their homes in the 
old world and brave the hardships of a new land. As you 
study the stories look for these reasons and then explain the 
difference between the life led by these early settlers while 
in Europe and their life as led in America. Why was this 

51 



52 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

a land of freedom for them? Find out in what ways America 
was a " Land of Opportunity " to the early Virginians, the 
Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Quakers, and to others. 

The early settlers were dependent upon the mother 
country. Explain why. As time passed and the number 
of homes increased, the land that was once a wilderness 
became cultivated farms. Cities grew up where it was 
handy to take various products for trade or shipping. 
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia were the most impor- 
tant. The people grew less dependent upon the mother 
country. Explain why. There was more of a feeling that 
America was for Americans and that the colonists should be 
free from governments in Europe. As you study the dif- 
ferent stories, look for passages showing the growth of such 
a feeling. 

Determine how long it took to establish settlements in 
the country from New England to Georgia. Compare the 
length of this period with the length of the period of 
exploration. 

Study the pictures and the maps as well as the stories, 
and make a collection of other pictures that will show some- 
thing about the early colonists and their home life in 
America. 

As you study, determine, if you can, what those men and 
women in Virginia, New England, New Jersey, Pennsyl- 
vania, and other colonies did for you. 



CHAPTER XII 

. JOHN SMITH AND THE FIRST PERMANENT ENGLISH 

SETTLEMENT 

The Cabots, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh 
were all great Englishmen and did great deeds for their 
country, but the credit for making the first permanent 
English settlement in what is now the United States belongs 
to men who followed them and profited by what they had 
done. It was about twenty years after Raleigh's unsuc- 
cessful efforts to plant a colony in America that a body of 
wealthy merchants, joined together in what was called the 
London Company, sent out a group of people, one hundred 
and five in number, for the purpose of making a settlement 
in the new world. This group of colonists set out New 
Year's Day, 1607, in three small vessels. It was May 
before they finally landed on the banks of a river which 
flows into Chesapeake Bay. This river they named the 
James in honor of James I, who was the king of England at 
that time. The settlement was named James-town for 
the same reason. 

Like those in Raleigh's colony, these settlers were not the 
kind of men to do the necessary work of building up a colony. 
Many of them were " gentlemen " who did not think they 
should work with their hands. They thought it would be 
easy to gather a fortune in America, and then return to 
England. They were mistaken. Soon after they came 
the weather became very warm. The place where they 
settled w^as unliealthful. Food was hard to get. Many of 

53 



54 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



the settlers died of starvation or disease. The Indians, too, 
were unfriendly, and helped to make the colonists' life 
very hard. 

The man who did most to help the colony over the trials 
of the first year was Captain John Smith. He was a 

young man twenty- 
eight years of age 
who had seen much 
of the world, hav- 
ing had many ad- 
ventures in the 
war in Holland, 
and' in other parts 
of Europe. His 
adventures, as he 
tells them in the 
story of his life, 
read like those of 
a hero in a fairy 
tale. We know 
from his work in 
Virginia that he 
was fearless. His 
management of the 
affairs of the colo- 
nists proves that 
he was as wise as he was fearless in his relations with the 
Indians. 

John Smith showed the " gentlemen " how to work, and 
soon had them hewing trees and building log houses. It 
was not easy to keep them at such common work as building 
houses, because many of them wanted to search for the gold 
that they thought might be found. They did send a load 




Captain John Smith. 

Such men as Captain Smith made it possible for the early 
settlers to build homes and live in the new land. 



JOHN SMITH AND THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENT 55 

of yellow sand to England, thinking it was gold, but it 
turned out. to be of no value. 

A rule was made by Smith that all should work if they were 
to eat. At first they had a conmion storehouse, but this 
plan made it easy for the lazy ones to get food as well as the 
workers. Everybody went to work when the food supply 
was stopped. 

John Smith believed Virginia was a narrow piece of land 
between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and he made 
several trips up the different rivers in the hope of finding 
the Pacific. You can see from the map how far he was 
from right in his ideas of the size and shape of the continent 
of America. 

On one of these exploring expeditions he was captured 
by the Indians, who killed all his companions and would 
have taken his life also had he not aroused their wonder by 
showing them his pocket compass. He also wrote a letter 
on a piece of paper to his friends in Jamestown. This 
astonished the Indians to think that Smith " could make 
paper talk." Afterwards Smith was taken before the chief 
of the tribe, Powhatan. For a time Powhatan was pleased 
with the compass and kept Captain Smith a prisoner near 
him. It was not long, however, before he tired of his 
prisoner, and would have killed him had not Pocahontas, 
his daughter, pleaded for Captain Smith's life. Not only 
was his life spared, but he was sent back to his friends in 
Jamestown. 

The colonists were in a sad condition when John Smith 
returned from his imprisonment. He helped them to get 
corn from the Indians, and to catch fish from the rivers for 
food. As they still did not work as they should have, the 
colonists could not secure enough food. The river water 
also was not good to drink. Many were taken sick and 



56 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

some died. During one cold winter it was even necessary 
to kill the dogs and horses for food. 

However, more settlers kept on coming from England, 
and finally a ship with women and children came. Real 
homes were made with women to care for them, and the 
colony prospered. 

In 1609 John Smith left the colony. He was injured by 
an explosion of gunpowder, and was obliged to go to Eng- 
land for surgical treatment. He revisited America later, 
exploring the coast from Maine southward. He made a 
map of the district and presented it to King Charles on his 
return to England. This map was remarkable for its accu- 
racy. John Smith named the region that he explored New 
England, a name which it has kept to this day. Later on 
he attempted to plant a colony in New England, but was 
unsuccessful. He spent the last years of his life at home 
in England writing books about his travels and adventures. 

By 1619 the number of colonists in Virginia had increased 
to about four thousand. These people desired to have a 
government of their own, and asked permission of the Lon- 
don Company to elect representatives from different parts 
of the colony who could meet together to make laws for the 
colony. Permission was granted, and in 1619 these repre- 
sentatives met in Jamestown. This was the first law- 
making body to meet in America. It afterwards came to he 
known as the House of Burgesses. 

Another event that is not so pleasant to record took place 
in 1619. In that year a shipload of negroes was brought 
to Virginia by traders and sold to the settlers as slaves. 
Trading in slaves increased and extended as the country 
grew, until the slave question became one of the most 
important in the history of the United States. 

John Smith was a brave and determined leader of men. 



JOHN SMITH AND THE FIRST ENGLISH SETTLEMENT 57 

He helped to establish the first permanent English settle- 
ment, Jamestown, in America. In this settlement in 1619 
the House of Burgesses was established and negro slavery 
was introduced. These were very important events in our 
national history. They marked the beginning of the two 
most vital questions in that history, — the questions of 
representative government and of slavery. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why did it take so long to start a successful settlement in America? 
II. Why were the first men who came to Jamestown not good men to 
make a settlement? 

III. How did John Smith help the settlers at Jamestown? 

IV. Why did the colonists wish to make their own laws? 

V. Why were men needed who could stand hardships as John Smith 
did? 



CHAPTER XIII 

MYLES STANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENTS IN 
NEW ENGLAND 

Not many years after John Smith and other Englishmen 
settled in Jamestown, another group of Englishmen, women, 
and children founded a settlement at Plymouth, in what is 
now the State of Massachusetts. This group of people did 
not go to America to get rich; instead of that they wanted a 
home and a place to worship as they desired. They were 
called Pilgrims. 

At that time King James was the ruler of England. He 
wanted all the people to worship after the same plan. 
There were some men and women, however, who set up 
churches of their own, and, as they had separated from the 
King's church, they were called Separatists. Some of the 
people wanted to change and reform, or, as they said, 
purify, this form of worship. They were called Puritans. 
The king's officers persecuted these people who differed 
from the king in their idea of worship ; and as some travelled 
from place to place to escape persecution they came to be 
called Pilgrims. 

The Pilgrims left England and settled in Holland. As 
they found the Dutch people friendly, their life in Holland 
was pleasant. After staying there a few years, however, 
they found that their children were learning the Dutch 
language and following Dutch customs. They did not like 
to see that, because they really loved their home land and 
wanted their children to grow up as English men and women. 

58 



MYLES STANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENT IN NEW ENGLAND 59 



On account of this they wished to leave Holland. They 
finally decided to go to the new land, America. 

In July, 1620, about one hundred of the Pilgrims in Hol- 
land set sail for America in the Speedwell, from the port of 
Ley den where most of them lived. Among them was 
Captain Myles Standish, an Englishman, who, although 
he was not a Pilgrim, had joined them in Holland and had 
become well liked. He 
had shown bravery in the 
wars in Holland, and in 
America, as you shall 
see, his military training 
helped him very much 
in giving aid to the new 
settlers. He was a small 
man, with reddish hair 
and beard. He some- 
times dressed in armor 
and his weapons con- 
sisted of a heavy sword 
and a flint-lock gun. 

Another vessel, the 
Mayflower, joined the 
Speedwell at Southamp- 
ton, England. As the 
Speedwell proved to be 
unfit for the voyage, one 

hundred and two of the voyagers crowded into the Mayflower. 
They finally started in September and took nine weeks to 
reach America. They planned to go to Virginia, but great 
storms arose and drove the Mayflower to the north of the 
course. When they finally reached land it was near Cape Cod. 

While at anchor in Cape Cod Bay they signed an agree- 
ment that all should obey for the general good of the 




Myles Standish. 

The work of Standish was like that of Captain 
John Smith of Jamestown. 



60 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

colony. This covenant agreed to by the Uttle band of 
Pilgrims shows that they had respect for proper laws. They 
wished for freedom from laws that caused them to be per- 
secuted, and they gained this freedom by coming to America. 
That they were law-abiding is shown by their willingness to 
put their names to the body of laws prepared by their leader 
and the selection of a governor to execute the laws. They 
chose John Carver for their first governor. 

As it was not easy to find a good place to land and build 
homes, Myles Standish and a few other men spent several 
weeks exploring the land. At last they decided to settle at 

a place called Ply- 
mouth on John 

--"'>t55L""5k 1\/ f'^'T^ Smith's map of that 

''""■''^'4^^J^'^4'^,':>^,~..V^^fe^^ region. The water 





was shallow near the 
shore, which made it 
necessary for the 
people in landing to 
TheMayflowerr ^tep from the boat 

to a great stone lying 
near the shore, and from that to the land. This rock, which 
may be seen to this day, is called Plymouth Rock. 

The Pilgrims landed December 21, 1620. The day was 
cold, and snow covered the ground. There was no shelter 
and food was scarce. They suffered from the severe cold 
but they set about to build a house. It was not many days 
before they had a log cabin built where all lived until other 
homes could be built. 

The first winter was filled with severe trials for these brave 
people. Many of them were ill, and at one time only Myles 
Standish and a few other men were well enough to care for 
the sick people. Standish proved himself as good a nurse 



MYLES STANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENT IN NEW ENGLAND 61 

as he was a soldier. He tenderly cared for those who were 
too weak to help themselves, at the same time keeping care- 
ful watch that the Indians did not attack the settlement. 
Over half of the little group died the first winter. Among 
these were Rose Standish, Myles Standish's wife, and John 
Carver, the governor. In order that the Indians might not 
know how many had died, the graves were level with the 
ground, and, in the Spring, corn was planted over them as 
well as on the other land. 

An Indian named Samoset visited the settlers in the 
Spring. He had learned English from an English fisherman 
and surprised the Pilgrims by calling out, " Welcome, 
Englishmen!" He remained at the settlement over night 
and then returned to his home in the forest. He soon 
returned with another Indian named Squanto, who had 
been taken prisoner by some English explorers, had been 
taken to England, and while there had learned the English 
language. He informed the settlers that Massasoit, the 
chief of his tribe, would visit them in a short time. Prepa- 
rations were made to receive Massasoit as an important 
man should be received. Myles Standish and a group of 
soldiers met him and escorted him to the governor. Friendly 
greetings and presents were exchanged, and a peace compact 
was drawn up. This peace was kept for fifty years. 

Squanto liked the ways of the white people, and spent 
several years with them. He taught them how to raise 
corn and other vegetables and how to trap the game of the 
forest. Such pleasant relations with the Indians helped 
the colonists. Many hardships that John Smith and his 
followers suffered were thus avoided in New England. 

The harvest of the first season was so plentiful that the 
Pilgrims set aside a day of thanksgiving for the good crops. 
The Indians were invited, and Massasoit and several of his 



62 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

followers spent three days of feasting and entertainment 
with the Englishmen. From this beginning, the national 
custom of having the last Thursday in November as Thanks- 
giving Day has grown up. 

Some Indians were not so friendly as Massasoit. One 
chief named Canonicus sent a bundle of arrows wrapped in 
a snake skin to Myles Standish. This meant that he was 
ready to declare war on the English. Myles Standish kept 
the arrows, but returned the snake skin filled with powder 
and shot. This was a warning to Canonicus that the set- 
tlers were willing and ready to fight. The Indian chief 
decided to leave the English alone when he received Myles 
Standish's message. 

At another time Massasoit told the Pilgrims of a plot the 
Massachuseuks tribe had formed to attack them. Myles 
Standish marched against the unfriendly Indians with such 
success that the threatened trouble quickly came to an end. 

The homes of the Pilgrims differed a great deal from ours. 
They were made from rough logs cut in the forest into dif- 
ferent lengths, depending upon the size of the house that 
was to be built. These logs were piled upon one another 
to make the four walls, and then the roof was made over all 
and covered with large shingles split from short logs. There 
was but one large room in the house which was made to 
serve as kitchen, dinmg room, and parlor. The cooking 
was done in large pots over the fire in the fire-place. Some 
furniture was brought from England, and other furniture 
was made by the Pilgruns. Every home had a spinning 
wheel. 

There was a church in every community which was 
attended every Sunday by all the people. In Plymouth 
on Sunday morning Myles Standish and a few of his brave 
soldiers went to the meeting-house at the head of the pro- 



MYLES STANDISH AND THE SETTLEMENT IN NEW ENGLAND 63 



cession, followed by the men, women, and children of the 
settlement. The services lasted all day long. There was 
no heat even in the coldest weather, except from small 
foot stoves. You can imagine that it must have been very 
unpleasant in cold weather; nor was it easy for the boys 
and girls to listen to a sermon two hours long without falling 
asleep or getting into mischief. A man was appointed to 



«-!i^ "laiW'^-.-V^-Jj' -W--#;>","-. 







Pilgrims Going to Church. 

The desire of the Pilgrims to worship as they wished brought them to America. 

keep them from doing either. If they fell asleep, or behaved 
badly, it was his duty to tap them on the head with a stick 
that he carried for that purpose. All children were expected 
to give good attention to the sermon, no matter how long 
it was. 

The daily life of the boys and girls was a busy one. They 
helped their parents in the daily work and attended school. 



64 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The Pilgruns thought it was necessary to have schools, and 
school-houses were among the first public buildings that 
they erected. These school-houses were made of rough 
logs with the cracks filled with mud and dried grass. Inside 
the walls were rough; there were no pictures; and the seats 
were made out of thick boards split out of logs. These 
schools were not well lighted nor were they well heated. 
Books were very scarce; in fact, the only book in some of the 
schools belonged to the master. But with all these diffi- 
culties many Pilgrim boys and girls grew into worth-while 
men and women. Later on in our history you will see how 
their descendants took a leading part in helping to lay the 
foundation of the United States as we now know it. 

Myles Standish was always ready to help in every kind 
of labor or in fighting. He later went to England to get 
money to aid the colonists. His last years were spent at 
Duxbury, not far from Plymouth settlement. Among 
others who lived there with him was his friend John Alden. 
The story of Myles Standish, John Alden, and the Puritan 
maiden Priscilla is beautifully told in a poem called " The 
Courtship of Miles Standish," by Henry W. Longfellow. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why did the Pilgrims go to Holland? 

n. Why was it very brave of the Pilgrims to wish to settle in America? 
IIL The agreement signed on the Mayflower was called a compact. 
Why was it called a compact? Why was it necessary to have 
laws? 
rV. How do 5'ou think Myles Standish helped the colony? 
V. The Pilgrims believed in having a church and schools for the 
children. What does this show us about these people? 



CHAPTER XIV 
JOHN WINTHROP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 

The Pilgrims spent several lonesome years in America 
before other English people decided to settle near them. 
Their number had increased to about three hundred when 
some Puritans, under the leadership of John Endicott, 
settled at Salem in 1628. 

These Puritans were those people of whom you read in 
the last chapter who wished to simplify or purify the form 
of worship in the English church. As this did not please 
the king he persecuted them as well as the Pilgrims. By 
1630, however, there were many educated and rich men 
among the Puritans. Some of these men, under the leader- 
ship of John Winthrop, obtained a charter from the king, 
giving them the right to settle in America and make the 
laws which were to be observed in their colony. The com- 
pany was called the Massachusetts Bay Company, and 
Winthrop was named as the first governor. He held that 
office for twelve years. 

It took a fleet of eleven vessels to carry the Puritans who 
left England in March, 1630. They carried with them tools 
that they would need in making their new homes. They 
also took horses, cattle, and other stock, as well as seeds and 
extra provisions. The voyage did not end until June. 
The land that they saw was not like that which the weary 
Pilgrims selected for their home in December, 1620. The 
fields were covered with flowers now and the weather was 
warm and pleasant. 

65 



66 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



Winthrop and his followers selected Charlestown for a 
home, but the water there was so mipure that many became 
ill. They looked about for a better place and chose a piece 
of land consisting of three hills which lay across the river 

from Charlestown. 
They named this 
place Boston, after 
a fine old city in 
England. You may 
find Boston and the 
other places spoken 
of if you will look 
at the map of 
Massachusetts. 

The winter of 
1630-31 was filled 
with suffering for 
the Puritans. Food 
became scarce. 
The weather was 
very cold. So 
many became ill 
that it was feared 
at one time that 
all might perish 
from starvation. 
But when nearly 
all hope was gone a ship arrived from England with a plenti- 
ful supply of provisions and the colony was saved. 

Over a thousand people arrived from England the next 
year. As others followed, it was not long before Boston 
became a large town. Other settlements were also started 
at Watertown, Roxbury, and other places near Boston. 




Governor John Winthrop. 

Winthrop's leadership helped the Puritan settlement to 
prosper. 



JOHN WINTHROP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 



67 



When the settlers first came their chief thought was to get 
food, and farming became the principal industry of the 
colony; but as the number of colonists increased some gave 
their attention to ship-building and engaged in trade with 
the West Indies. Others became interested in fishing off 
Newfoundland. This industry met with so much success 




The Puritans' First Sunday in America. 

The Puritans, like the Pilgrims, were a devout people. They are shown here listening to 

their preacher. 



that fishing became and still is one of the most important 
industries of Massachusetts. 

Governor Winthrop was not only a good governor, but 
he set a good example for others to follow. He lived as he 
thought other Puritans should live. He believed, as they 
did, that the people should live according to very strict laws, 



68 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

many of which had a great deal to do with reHgion and the 
church. 

Every one was obliged to attend church twice on Sunday. 
A scolding woman was punished by ducking, or by standing 
outside her door with a stick tied across her mouth. A man 
who told untruths was made to stand on the street, a large 
sign with the word "liar" printed on it hanging from his 
neck. For some crimes men were placed in the " stocks," 
or " pillory," where they were held stiff and rigid, and 
exposed for hours to the ridicule of people passing by. 

The daily life was a busy one. A bell rang the curfew at 
nine o'clock, when everyone had to go to bed. In the 
morning at half-past four another bell awoke them for 
their daily work. 

There were no stores where the settlers could buy food and 
clothing. It was necessary to raise grain and vegetables or 
hunt game in the forest. If a suit of clothes or a dress was 
wanted, the housewife had first to spin the wool, then weave 
it into cloth, and then make the garment. 

Neighbors helped one another with work that needed 
several men, like " raising " a barn, pulling stumps, or get- 
ting in such crops as corn and wheat. Women helped each 
other when butchering time came, or when it was necessary 
to sew rags for a rag carpet. No one wanted paj^ for help- 
ing his neighbor. They asked only for thanks and a willing- 
ness to help some one else in case of need. 

The Puritans started the custom of holding town meetings 
to make the laws for the different towns of the settlement. 
At these meetings the laws which were made were supposed 
to be for all the people, but no one was allowed to vote unless 
he was a church member. 

The chief reason why the Puritans left England was their 
desire to worship as they pleased, but as soon as the}'^ 



JOHN WINTHKOP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 69 

settled in America they seemed to forget that some might 
not desire to worship as they did. They not only took the 
right to vote away from those who did not belong to their 
church, but they persecuted all who preached contrary 
to their ideas. 

One man named Roger Williams thought that all should 
vote, that everyone should worship as he pleased, and that 
the king of England had no right to give away land in 
America until he paid the Indians for it. He was a young 
preacher who preached first in Salem and then in Plymouth. 
He took a great interest in the Indians and went to the 
trouble of learning their language. As he was kind to them, 
they became his friends. 

The Puritans disliked Williams' preaching and attempted 
to arrest him to send him back to England. He escaped 
and fled through the forest in mid-winter to the home of the 
Indian Chief Massasoit, who took him in and gave him a 
home until Spring. Wlien springtime came, Massasoit 
presented Williams with a tract of land in what is now 
Rhode Island that he might send for his friends in the Puri- 
tan colony and establish a settlement. Williams called his 
land Providence, and invited all who wished to settle there, 
no matter what church they attended. This was the first 
settlement in America where there was religious freedom. 
Later on in this history you will find that religious freedom 
was considered so important that the men who wrote the 
laws of the United States gave everyone the right to worship 
as he might choose. 

Roger Williams lived to be an old man. He was always 
very strong, and at seventy-three years of age he rowed a 
boat thirty miles. He helped make Providence a pros- 
perous settlement. His advice was always sought after. 
The Indians so trusted him that more than once he was 



70 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

successful in persuading them not to fight the white men. 
At one time, when the Pequot Indians were urging the Nar- 
ragansetts to join with them in an attack on Massachu- 
setts, Wilhams succeeded in getting the Narragansetts not 
to join with the Pequots. The Pequots, however, would 
not listen to him. They were determined to fight the 
English. A party of settlers marched against them, sur- 
prised them, and killed nearly the whole tribe. There was 
no other trouble with the Indians in New England for nearly 
fifty 3^ears. 

Many of the colonists, like Winthrop and Roger Williams, 
were very well educated, and believed in schools. As they 
desired to have their children well educated, Massachu- 
setts, in 1647, passed a law which made it necessary to have 
a free school in every town ha\'ing fift}' or more house- 
holders. This was the beginning of the present free schoDl 
system of the United States. 

It was only six years after Winthrop and his friends 
reached America that they set aside money to establish a 
college. Two years later John Harvard died in Charlestown, 
and left his library and half his estate to the college. This 
was the beginning of Harvard College. 

John Winthrop lived until 1649. He was a leader of men 
and always stood for what he believed was right. He met 
with many trials but was successful in building up a great 
colony in Massachusetts. We shall hear more of this 
colony in the history of our country. 

In 1643 four of the New England colonies, Plymouth, 
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven, united to 
protect themselves against the Indians, and against invasion 
by the Dutch. This union was called The New^ England 
Confederation. It was one of the first steps towards the 
United States of America. 



JOHN WINTHROP AND OTHER PURITAN LEADERS 71 



THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why were the Puritans piiuislied in England? 
II. How did the Puritans differ from the Pilgrims? 

III. Why was it easier for the Puritans under Winthrop when they 

reached America than for the Pilgrims? 

IV. Would you like to have been among the Puritans when they first 

came to America? Whj^? 
V. Why did the neighbors help one another in early days? 
VI. Why did Roger Williams leave Massachusetts? 
VII. How did the colony that he established differ from the colony of 

Puritans? 
VIII. Remember that religious freedom has been an important cjuestion 
in our history and look for references to it as you read this book. 
IX. The group of colonies in New England that united for the sake of 
protection was called the New England Confederacy. Look 
up the word confederacy in the dictionary. 
X. "Which New England colony was not allowed to join the Con- 
federacy? Why? 



CHAPTER XV 



HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 



For many years after the people in Europe learned that 
America lay between them and Eastern Asia, they sought 

a waterway to Asia either 
across or north of North 
America, or north of Europe. 
While John Smith was 
exploring the rivers of Vir- 
ginia with the hope that 
some of them might lead to 
the Pacific Ocean, another 
Englishman named Henry 
Hudson was attempting to 
find a north passage to 
China. His explorations 
attracted so much attention 
that the great trading com- 
pany in Holland, the Dutch 
East India Company, engaged him to seek a shorter western 
route to India than the one by way of the Cape of Good 
Hope which they were using. 

Plans were soon made, and on April 4, 1609, Hudson set 
forth from the Zuyder Zee in a small vessel called the Half 
Moon. He carried with him maps and other papers pre- 
pared by explorers who had visited America. Among them 
was a letter from Captain John Smith, in which he stated 

72 




Henry Hudson. 

The discovery of the great river that bears 
• his name gives Henry Hudson an important 
place in history. 



HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 73 

that there was " a strait leading into the western ocean, 
by the north English colony in Virginia." 

The Half Moon sailed to the northwest from Holland 
until Hudson was forced to turn southward to escape the 
great icebergs that were floating in the ocean. After a 
voyage of three months the account of his travels shows 
that he was near Newfoundland. From there he journeyed 
southward, exploring the coast waters very carefully with 
the hope that he would find the long sought-for passageway 
to the Pacific Ocean. He sailed as far south as Jamestown, 
and then turned and sailed to the north again. On Sep- 
tember 3, 1609, he reached the entrance of a beautiful bay. 
He entered the harbor and found himself at the mouth of 
what we know now as the Hudson River. The bay later 
came to be called New York Harbor and has become the 
greatest harbor in the world. 

Hudson sailed slowly up the beautiful river, filled with 
the hope that he had at last found the short route across 
America. It is hard for us to understand how he could 
have thought that the Hudson River extended across this 
great continent, but we must remember that when Henry 
Hudson and the other early explorers were making the first 
visits to this land they had very few maps, and those were 
m.ade by men who knew little of the new world. 

It was not long before the river became shallower, and 
Hudson saw that much land lay beyond before the west- 
ward ocean could be reached. He returned to Europe and 
sent a report of his discovery to the Dutch East India 
Company. 

While on his voyage up the Hudson River, Hudson was 
visited at different times by the Indians, who exchanged 
presents with him. He also went ashore at one place and 
was entertained at a great feast given by them in his honor. 



74 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



The friendly feeling toward the Dutch which resulted from 
Henry Hudson's treatment of the Indians proved to be of 
great value to the men and women who later came to settle 
on the lands that he explored. 

In April, 1610, Henry Hudson again sailed for America, 
this time under the English flag. He travelled far to the 




The Half Moon. 

This picture sliows a model of Hudson's vessel which was made for the Hudson-Fulton 
celebration of New York, in 1009. 

North, and finally reached the entrance of the great bay 
that now bears his name. Here his ship was frozen fast for 
the winter. WTien springtime came he attempted to con- 
tinue the voyage to the West. His sailors rebelled, how- 
ever, and, putting Hudson, his son, and a few sick men in an 
open boat, they left them to drift on the icy waters of 
Hudson Bay. No one knows the exact fate of this brave 



HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 



75 



man. No doubt, he soon died from the cold. His great 
discoveries, however, will always remind us that Henry 
Hudson was one of the real heroes of his time. 

During his voyage for the Dutch Company Hudson 
traded beads, cloth, and other things to the Indians for 
furs which he took to Holland in the Half Moon. When 
the Dutch saw the valuable furs that America produced 



^^S^i^P^^^ 




Henry Hudson Trailing with the Indians. 



they sent men to trade with the Indians along the Hudson 
River. Soon many trading posts were established, the 
most important being Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan 
Island at the mouth of the Hudson River. 

It was several years before settlers came from Holland 
in large numbers. Those who came during the first few 
years wanted only to trade with the Indians, with no 
thought of home-making. 



76 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

In 1G25 the Dutch West India Company, as the East 
India Company was then called, sent out Peter Minuit to 
act as Governor of the whole region claimed by the Dutch, 
known as New Netherlands. This consisted of the land 
on both banks of the Hudson and what is now the New Jer- 
sey coast, as far south as Delaware Bay. 

Up to the time that Peter Minuit was sent to America, 
the Dutch had been living on Manhattan Island without 
questioning who owned the land. Minuit quickly decided 
that the land should be bought from the Indians, the right- 
ful owners, if the Dutch were to have a good claim to it. 
So he bargained with some of the Indian chiefs and gave them 
blankets, cloth, beads, ribbons, and buttons to the value 
of twenty-four dollars for the island. Both the Indians and 
the Dutch thought they had made a good bargain. The 
Indians knew nothing of money in the form of gold and 
silver. Their money was called Wampum, and consisted 
of shells or beads with holes in them so they could be strung 
on a string. Belts of this Wampum were woven in such 
forms that the Indians could tell from the woven figures 
for what they stood. Belts like these served as treaties 
between the Dutch and the Indians. 

The Indians and the people of New Amsterdam, as the 
settlement on Manhattan Island was then called, were very 
friendly. As the Indians brought furs to the Dutch traders, 
a fine business soon grew^ up. The ship which brought 
Governor Minuit to New Amsterdam carried a great cargo 
of furs back to Holland. 

When Peter Minuit first arrived in New Amsterdam the 
settlement consisted of about thirty houses. A log fort was 
soon built, windmills were erected, and before long some of 
the colonists began to build ships. More colonists came, 
and in a short time several real Dutch homes sprang up. 



HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 



77 



with pretty little gardens in place of the dirty, smoky Indian 
wigwams that Henry Hudson saw on the island. 

There were fine opportunities to engage in fur trading, 
ship building, and trading with the English colonies in New 
England and Virginia, and the Spanish colonies in the West 
Indies. It seems as though many settlers would have 
wanted to come to New Amsterdam, but apparently people 
liked Holland so well that few cared to make the voyage. 




New Amsterdam in 1664. 

It would be interesting to compare this picture with those pictures of New York which 
show the city to-day. 



In order to get colonists to settle in the lands under the 
control of the Dutch West India Company, the Company 
offered to any man who would make a settlement of fifty 
persons a tract of land sixteen miles long on one bank of 
any river in the land claimed by the company. If the 
settler preferred he could have a tract of land eight miles 
long on each bank of the river. The land might run back 
from the river as far as the settler desired. The man who 
made this settlement was to be called a " patroon," and 



78 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

was to have full charge of the land and the people whom he 
brought as settlers. He was the judge in all disputes. He 
could compel the settlers to pay him rents for the land on 
which they lived, and if he desired he might compel them to 
grind their grain in his mill. In return for the land, he was 
obliged to provide his settlers with a schoolmaster and a 
minister. 

It was not long before the proprietors of some of these 
estates became more interested in their own fortune than 
in the good of the settlers whom they had persuaded to come 
to America with them. Trouble soon arose, and word was 
sent back to the Dutch West India Company that Peter 
Minuit was favoring the " patroons." Because of this the 
Company recalled him in 1632. 

Whether this accusation was true or not, while Peter 
Minuit was Governor of the little Dutch colony he did many 
things to make it a prosperous settlement. At all times he 
seemed to be working to make a home where Dutch people 
could settle and be happy. 

Other governors followed Peter Minuit. We shall have 
time to learn about only the last one appointed. His name 
was Peter Stuyvesant and he was appointed in 1647. He 
was governor for seventeen years, during which time he did 
a great deal of valuable work for the colony. 

Peter Stuyvesant was a man with a strong will. He met 
all difficulties with a firm hand and settled them without 
delay. He found the colony in trouble with the Indians. 
He soon made a treaty with them. He next settled a dis- 
pute between the Dutch and some English settlers in Con- 
necticut who laid claim to the same tract of land. After 
that he turned his attention to a settlement that had been 
made on the Delaware River by some Swedish settlers 
under the leadership of Peter Minuit, who had gone to Sweden 



HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 



79 



after his dismissal by the Dutch West India Company. 
Stiiyvesant sailed against the settlement with seven ships 
and took possession of the colony for the Dutch. He 
encouraged fur trading and helped those who were inter- 
ested in ship building. He forced the settlers to observe 
the laws of the Sabbath, 
forbade the sale of guns 
and liquor to the Indians, 
and helped the people to 
start public schools like 
those the English had 
established in New Eng- 
land. 

You might think be- 
cause of all these good 
deeds that Peter Stuy- 
vesant was liked by the 
settlers, but he was not. 
He was headstrong, 
quick-tempered, and al- 
ways wanted to have his 
own way. He thought 
first of all of the West 
India Company and then 
of the people. It was 
not long before the people 
had a chance to choose 
whether or not they wanted him to continue as their gov- 
ernor. 

England had always laid claim to the whole coast of North 
America from Labrador to the Carolinas because of Cabot's 
explorations. In 1664, therefore, a fleet of English vessels 
appeared in New Amsterdam harbor and demanded the 




Governor Peter Stuyvesant. 

Peter Stuyvesant stands high among the early 
governors who had charge of settlements. 



80 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



surrender of the town to the EngUsh. Peter Stuyvesant 
was very angry and tore to pieces the English officer's 
letter, but, as he soon found that the other Dutch people 
would not help him defend the settlement against the 
English, he was obliged to surrender. Thus the rule of the 
Dutch in America came to an end. A treaty was signed 
at Stuyvesant's " Bouwerie," or country home, on Sep- 
tember 3, 1664. By this treaty the name of the settlement 




Surrender of New Amsterdam by Peter Stuyvesant in 1664. 
This scene shows the passing of Dutch control in North America to the English. 

was changed to New York in honor of the Duke of York, to 
whom King Charles II of England had given the tract of 
land in America which included the Dutch settlements. 



THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Is there a waterway across North America to the Pacific? 
II. Wliy do you think Hudson believed the river that bears his name 
reached the Pacific Ocean? 
Ill ^\^lat reasons had the Dutch for coming to America? 



HENRY HUDSON AND THE DUTCH IN AMERICA 81 

rV. Why do you think both the Indians and the Dutch thought the sale 
of Manhattan Island was a good bargain? Who got the better 
of the bargain? Why? 
V. Why did the English claim New Netherlands? 
VI. Do you think Peter Stuyvesant was a good governor? Why? 
VII. The Dutch people would not help defend New Amsterdam against 
the English. Wliy? 



CHAPTER XVI 
SAMUEL DE CHAM PLAIN AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 

You have learned how the Spanish, EngHsh, and Dutch 
explored and laid claim to different parts of North America. 
We shall now turn our attention to another great country of 
Europe which sent out explorers and afterwards settlers 
to the new world. This country was France. 

The man who first succeeded in making a French settle- 
ment in North America was named Samuel de Champlain. 
He was a trained sailor, a brave, de- 
vout, and honest man. He first arrived 
in America in 1603. During the sum- 
mer of that year he and his followers 
explored the St. Lawrence River, which 
had been discovered by Cartier, a 
Frenchman, in 1535. They visited 
Hochelaga, which Cartier had seen 
as a great Indian village beautifully 
situated on a hill by the river side, 
but they found the town in ruins. 
Later both this hill and the city which 
the French settlers built upon it were 
called Montreal (Mount Royal). A short time after this 
the voyagers returned to France. 

The next year Champlain brought a few settlers to Acadia, 
as the land claimed by the French was then called. These 
people met with so many hardships that after three years 

82 




Samuel de Champlain. 

Champlain's success in estab- 
lishing a French settlement 
strengthened the claim of 
France to a part of the New 
World. 



SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 83 

at Port Royal they became discouraged and returned to 
France. 

This failure did not discourage Champlain, however. As 
his main desire was to establish the French in the new world, 
we again find him in America. This time, 1608, he started 
a settlement at the trading port on the St. Lawrence called 
Quebec. The first winter was a very hard one for the few 
men who were left there when their ships returned to France. 
Other settlers came in the spring, however, and the little 
colony soon became a prosperous group of people. 

Champlain 's settlement had as neighbors a tribe of Indi- 
ans called the Algonquins. These Indians were at war 
with the Iroquois, who lived to the south in what is now the 
state of New York. He thought that it would be to his 
advantage to gain the friendship of the Algonquins, and, 
in order to do so, he agreed to help them against their ene- 
mies. While on the way to meet the Iroquois he discovered 
the beautiful lake which now bears his name. Lake Cham- 
plain. Look for this lake on the map and you will see where 
the battle between the two Indian tribes took place at the 
southern end of the lake. 

When the war parties met, Champlain and his fellow 
Frenchmen killed two of the Iroquois chiefs. The Iroquois 
were so frightened when they heard the guns and saw their 
chiefs fall that they fled. It was a costly victory for the 
French, however, because from that time the Iroquois were 
their enemies, keeping them from carrying on trade or mak- 
ing explorations in their lands. They kept the French from 
reaching the Mississippi River valley by way of Lake Erie 
and the Ohio River as they desii'ed, and forced them to go 
by way of the Great Lakes, — a route which offered many 
very great difficulties, as you will learn in the story of other 
French explorers. 



84 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Champlain was making enemies of the Indians near the 
Hudson River at the time that Henry Hudson was winning 
their friendship. Their trade went to the Dutch, and after- 
wards to the English, instead of to the French, as it proba- 
bly would have gone but for Champlain's mistake. 

For what he did in encouraging the early settlers and 
helping to make Quebec a permanent settlement, Champlain 
was given the affectionate title " Father of Canada." He 
died December 25, 1635, after a lifetime filled with service 
for his country. 

It was several years after the French settled at Quebec 
before they did much exploring of the country west of that 
place. Even then much of the exploration done by the 
French must be credited to the Jesuit missionaries. These 
men were so filled with a desire to teach the Indians the 
truths of their church that they risked their health and even 
their lives for this purpose. 

One of the greatest of these missionaries was Father 
Marquette, who spent years of his life going from tribe to 
tribe for the purpose of teaching the Indians. In 1673, 
accompanied by Louis Joliet, he floated down the Wisconsin 
River into the Mississippi. They journeyed down that 
river until they reached the mouth of the Arkansas, and 
then returned to their starting place on Lake Michigan. 

Chief of the French explorers, however, was Robert de 
La Salle, who came to America in 1666. After exploring 
the Great Lakes and discovering the Ohio River, he returned 
to France to obtain permission from King Louis XIV to 
explore and start colonies, and to open up trade with the 
Indians in the land lying around the Lakes and in the 
Mississippi Valley. His great purpose was to build forts 
and start trading posts along the St. Lawrence, around the 
Great Lakes, and along the Mississippi. He also wanted 



^ ' ''' "^ -^ 7 X V 




SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 85 

to start a colony at the luoiith of the Mississippi River so 
that it would be easier for the French to carry on fur trading 
with the Indians of the region which he meant to open up. 
The St. Lawrence is so far north that for much of the year 
it is frozen over and all navigation must stop, while the 
Mississippi River, being further south, is open during the 
whole year. The Iroquois Indians, too, were giving the 
French much trouble near the St. Lawrence River. 

In 1679, after many hardships and disappointments, 
La Salle set forth on Lake Erie in a 
boat called the Griffin, that he and his 
men had made. They sailed through 
Lake Erie and Lake Ontario to the 
head of Lake Michigan. There men 
sent ahead by La Salle loaded the 
Griffin with furs which they had col- 
lected. They then returned. 

Meanwhile La Salle and a few of „ i^^^.^ d L S lie 
his followers journeyed to the southern La saiie-s explorations mark 
end of Lake Michigan and paddled w™ as an earnest worker in 

^ ^ the interests of Prance. 

their canoes up the St. Joseph River 

until they came to the place where that river and the 
head-waters of the Illinois River nearly meet. They 
carried their canoes from the St. Joseph to the Illinois, 
and, at the place where the city of Peoria now stands, they 
built a fort called Crevecceur, meaning " broken heart." 
This seems a good name for the fort, because Ija Salle 
had trouble enough to break his heart. He had hoped 
that his boatload of furs w^ould bring him enough money 
to make it possible for him to carry on his explorations 
towards the Mississippi River, but the boat was never 
heard from again, and, to get his supplies. La Salle 
was obliged to make the difficult journey from Fort 




86 POUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Crevecoeur overland through southern Michigan to Canada. 
The country was covered with forests filled with under- 
brush and many marshes. The travelers always had to be 
on the lookout for unfriendly Indians. Food was hard to 
obtain, and their clothes were soon worn out. But after 
several weeks La Salle reached Canada and, after making 
arrangements for supplies, returned to the Illinois River. 
When he arrived there other difficulties arose, so that he 
was obliged to make another journey to Canada. 

At last, however, all obstacles were overcome, and the 
party started down the Illinois River in the Indian canoes 
to which La Salle had decided to trust. On February 6, 
1682, they entered the Mississippi, down which they sailed 
until they reached the Gulf of Mexico, April 9, 1682. 
La Salle and his men landed and with impressive ceremonies 
took possession of the land in the name of King Louis of 
France. He called the whole region Louisiana, in honor 
of the king. This included the Mississippi River Valley 
from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Allegheny 
Mountains in the east and the land around the Great Lakes. 
He built a small fort which he called Fort St. Louis. Leav- 
ing a few men there, he returned to Montreal in Canada and 
shortly afterwards sailed for France, hoping to persuade 
the French king to help him establish a colony of French 
people at the mouth of the Mississippi River. 

As France and Spain were at war, the Spaniards had for- 
bidden Frenchmen to trade with any of the Spanish colonies 
in America or even enter the Gulf of Mexico. The French 
king thought a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi 
River would be valuable in helping him to break the power 
of Spain in America and was very willing to start such a 
colony. 

With a fleet of four vessels La Salle set forth with a glad 



SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN AND THE FRENCH IN AMERICA 



87 



heart to establish a settlement at the mouth of the 
Mississippi. Misfortune always seemed to follow him 
in his explorations in America, and this voyage was no 
exception. Instead of landing at the mouth of the Missis- 




La Salle Taking Possession of Louisiana. 
By such ceremonies as this picture shows, France hiid claim to a vast area in America. 



sippi he missed it and sailed on several miles to the west. 
He searched about for the great rivei-, l:)iit could not find 
it, and finally landed on the coast of what is now Texas. 
As some of his l)oats returned to France and another was 
wrecked, soon he and a few colonists were left in a desolate 



88 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

condition. After three years had passed he thought that he 
might get help in Canada and so set out on the long joiu'ney 
northward. But he had made so many enemies among his 
followers that they had not gone far toward Canada before 
one of his men killed him. 

La Salle gave his life for his country. In all of his explora- 
tions his first thought was to serve France. He met with 
many difficulties but he never gave up. He first explored 
what has become one of the most valuable regions of the 
United States. He was the first white man to explore the 
Mississippi River to its mouth, and his attempt to build 
forts and trading posts encouraged other Frenchmen to 
imitate him. It was not long before France had a good 
claim to all of that great region from the Great Lakes to 
the mouth of the Mississippi River. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

L Wliy is the discovery of n great river like the 8t. Lawrence an ini))()r- 

tant event? 

II. Chaniplain offended the h'ociuois Indians by helping the Algon- 

quins. How did this hurt the PVench who came after Chaniplain? 

III. Would you like to have been with La Salle on his journeys? Why? 

IV. Many places in Michigan have French names. Wliy? 

V. La Salle thought it was worth while to explore the Mississippi 

River. Why? 
VI. Do you admire La Salle? Why? 



CHAPTER XVII 

WILLIAM PENN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE QUAKERS 

IN AMERICA 

We have already learned how the Puritans were persecuted 
in England. Besides the Puritans there was another group 
of people who did not believe in the form of worship of the 
English church. These people, the Religious Society of 
Friends, or Quakers, as they are often called, were as cruelly 
punished on account of their religious belief as the Puritans 
were. The Quakers were at first under the leadership of 
George Fox. He taught that all men are equal in the sight 
of God. They showed this belief by always keeping their 
hats on in public places, and even in the presence of the king. 
They refused to take an oath in court because men should 
tell the truth at all times. They also refused to go to war 
or to pay taxes in support of war or the English church. 
They used " thee " and " thou " in addressing everybody, 
instead of saying " you " to persons of greater rank or 
wealth, as was then the custom. They thought that men 
and women should have equal rights. As a protest against 
the extravagant clothes of rich-colored cloth worn by many 
people at that time, they dressed in very plain clothes of dark 
or gray color. 

Because of these beliefs they were persecuted by being 
thrown into prison, whipped in public; and in some cases 
put to death. They were punished both in England and 
in the Puritan colonies of the new world. The Puritan 
leaders seemed especially to dislike the Quakers, and were 



90 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



very severe in their punishment of them. They sent many 
of them out of the Puritan colonies and even put some to 
death. 

There were many great leaders among the Quakers, but 
the one in whom we are most interested was William Penn. 
Penn was born in London, He was the son of Sir William 
Penn, a very wealthy man who served as admiral in the 
British navy. Sir William Penn was a close friend of the 

king. Having wealth and 
rank, he naturally desired 
to give his son such a 
training as would fit him 
to take a position at court 
when he became older. 
This was not to be, how- 
ever, because the young 
man while at Oxford Uni- 
versity became interested 
in the Friends, and after 
listening to one of their 
leaders he believed in their 
He refused to at- 
tend the religious exercises 
held at the college. He would not even wear the gown 
required to be worn by the students, because he thought it 
showed pride. For these and other offenses he was expelled 
from the college. 

When Penn's father heard what his son had done he was 
very angry, but he knew young William was honest in his 
belief and so did not try to argue with him. Instead, he 
sent him to Paris, hoping that the young man would forget 
the Quakers if he were to live the gay life of that city. 
Although William did enter somewhat into the gay life 




William Penn. 
Penn's zeal for his religious cause led to one of poiiap 
the most important settlements in America 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF QUAKERS 91 

of Paris and actually fought a duel there, his father's hopes 
were in vain. It was not many years before William Penn 
was thrown into jail in Ireland because he was found with 
others listening to a Quaker preacher. This time his angry 
father had him return to his home in England, and there 
informed him that unless he would remove his hat in the 
presence of King Charles II and himself, he would turn 
him out of his house. Young Penn showed that he was an 
earnest Friend by refusing his father's request, though with 
sorrow because of the offence it gave. For his refusal he 
was driven from his home. 

His mother and the king were his friends even though his 
father would not forgive him. At one time when the king 
and Penn met, the king removed his hat. Penn said, 
" Friend Charles, why dost thou remove thy hat? " 
" Because," answered the king with a smile, " where I am, 
it is the custom for only one to remain uncovered." 

As the years passed Penn wrote and spoke for the Quaker 
cause. For his defence of the Quaker ideas he was obliged 
to suffer a great deal. He was fined, and sometimes he 
was kept in prison for weeks. 

His father finally forgave him after he saw that his son 
was so much in earnest; and when he died he left his great 
fortune to the young Quaker. 

The king owed Penn's father a large sum of money which 
he found it difficult to pay. Since Penn had for some time 
been looking about for a way to help his friends among the 
Quakers, he now proposed to the king to give him a tract of 
land in America for the debt. This the king was glad to do 
and granted to Penn a large tract on the west side of the 
Delaware River. Penn desired to call the land Sylvania, 
meaning woodland, but the king named it Pennsylvania, 
Penn's woods, in honor of his friend. Sir William Penn. 



92 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

As soon as he had received his land Penn invited the 
Friends to settle there and build up a colony where they 
could govern themselves and worship as they desired. The 
invitation was gladly accepted by three thousand Quakers 
who sailed for the Delaware River in 1681. Penn did not 
come to America until the following year. He landed at 
Newcastle on the Delaware River in October and was given 
a hearty welcome by the settlers. 

It was not long after his arrival before he called an 
assembly or meeting of the people to make the laws of the 
colon3^ The laws made by this assembly are interesting 
because they show Penn's idea of government and because 
they were so nuich more liberal than the laws of England. 
The most important items were: 

1 . Everybody was to be allowed to worship as he desired. 

2. The first day of the week was to be kept as a day of rest. 

3. All members of the family were to be thought of as 

equal in the sight of the law. 

4. No oath was to be required in courts of justice. 

5. Every taxpayer was to have the right to vote. 

6. Every Christian should have the right to hold office. 

7. No tax could be collected except by law. 

8. Murder was the only crime punisll|[fcle by death. 

9. Prisoners were to be taught useful trades. 

Before sailing from England Penn had made plans to 
build a city in Pennsylvania. After looking about he 
selected the place where the Schujdkill River flows into the 
Delaware as the best place for this city. He planned it 
carefully. It was laid out like a checker board, with broad 
streets and large building lots, giving each house plenty of 
room. The streets were given such names as Walnut, 



WILLIAM PENN AND THE SETTLEMENT OF QUAKERS 93 

Chestnut, Spruce, Mulberry and Pine, after the trees of 
the forest. The city was called Philadelphia, meaning 
brotherly love. 

One of William Penn's first acts was to call a meeting of 
the Indians at which he told them that the Quakers were 
willing to buy the land from them. As the Indians were 
willing to sell, they were given knives, blankets, and hatchets, 
as they wished, for their claim on the lands. William Penn 
had also prepared a treaty of peace. When they were all 
together he read the treaty and explained to the Indians 




iiiiititiitiiimMniiiiiiiiiHiiiiiinuiiiui;;i: MiiB[tgiiiHiioaiiiiir.;icDuViiiiii^^ 

'IOII(llinil9»»f||l||DiliniHMI|llllll (0)lllllIlllttl)IIIH!»tQl)nTJI!ll9D }])1Q tOjIiD 



Penn's Belt. 

This belt was really a treaty of peace — a treaty that was never broken. 

that the Quakers wished to deal fairly with them and did 
not care to fight. He^so told them that in case of trouble 
the dispute was to beHttled by a council of six white men 
and six Indians. The Indians were so much pleased with 
William Penn's words and manner that they agreed to the 
treaty. Both parties were true to their promise, for the 
treaty was never broken during Penn's life. 

The treaty made between William Penn and the Indians 
was not in the form of the treaties of to-day which are 
written on paper. That treaty, which is still in existence, 
is a woven belt of wampum consisting of eighteen strings 
of beads. There are two figures shown on the belt. They 



94 FOUNDEES OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

are clasping hands to show that the Indians and EngUsh- 
men were to be friends. 

The city of Philadelphia grew so rapidly that by 1683 
it numbered over three hundred and fifty houses. By 1685 
there were over twenty-five hundred people in the city. 

Returning to England in 1684, William Penn remained 
there for fifteen years, spending much time and money in 
helping the Quakers. 

In 1699 he again returned to Philadelphia, this time for a 
1 eriod of two years. He had a fine home in the city and 
another in the country, with beautiful grounds around them. 
He was very hospitable; he gave great dinners and enter- 
tained many visitors. 

Penn's last days were spent in England, where he died in 
1718. No other one of the early leaders of America was 
loved as William Penn was. His colony was a great suc- 
cess. The men and women who lived in Pennsylvania 
were happy because they were always treated fairly, could 
worship as they desired, and share in making the laws. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What do you admire most in the Quakers' beHef? 
II. William Penn was a good Quaker. How may this be proven? 
III. William Penn planned his city carefully. Explain what is meant 

by this statement. 
IV. Why did William Penn have no trouble with the Indians? 
V. Wliat does the name Philadelphia mean? Do you think that this 
name was a good one for Penn's city? Why? 



CHAPTER XVIII 

LORD BALTIMORE AND JAMES OGLETHORPE AND THEIR 
SERVICES TO FREEDOM 

One hundred years after the settlement of Jamestown 
in 1607, the English had established twelve colonies all 
along the Atlantic coast of what is now the United States. 
The colonies in New England were Massachusetts, which 
included Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Con- 
necticut. South of New England, in what we now call the 
Middle States, were New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and 
Pennsylvania. Then still farther south were Maryland, 
Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 

The Spaniards also had settlements in what is now our 
country at St. Augustine in Florida, and at Santa Fe in 
New Mexico. They were also trying to colonize Texas. 
The French had begun to settle the Mississippi and soon 
had small towns from Mobile and New Orleans to Green 
Bay in Wisconsin. This was the dream which La Salle 
did not live to see realized. 

More and more people came to America every year. 
Some came to secure comfortable homes, some to escape 
persecution, some for freedom to carry out great ideas of 
their own. As people had found out by this time that our 
territory did not have any easily found gold, not many of 
those who wanted to " get rich quick " came during these 
years. 

An important group who came to escape persecution w ere 
the Catholics. Like the Separatists and Quakers, they 

95 



96 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



were persecuted in England, and their leaders, therefore, 
looked for a place where they could have more freedom. 
America offered such a home. In 1634 some men and 
women under the leadership of Lord Baltimore settled in 

Maryland. Like the 
Quakers, these 
people allowed all to 
come and worship 
in whatever manner 
they wished. It was 
not long before 
Maryland was a 
thriving colony. 

Rhode Island, 
Pennsylvania, and 
Maryland were the 
only colonies where 
there was complete 
religious liberty, 
though in the other 
English colonies 
there was less in- 
terference with 
peoples' religion 
Lord Baltimore. than in most parts 

The leadership of this man made possible a strong colony of of the WOrld. lu all 
freedom-loving people. p ,^ i 

01 them, however, 
there was a great deal of political Uberty. From the time 
of the first assembly in Virginia in 1619, where representa- 
tives elected by the people made their own laws, every 
English colony sought to have the same privilege, and finally 
obtained it. So America came to be known as the land of 
liberty and thus attracted many settlers of the finest type. 




LORD BALTIMORE AND JAMES OGLETHORPE 97 

In 1732 we find another man looking towards America 
with the hope that another group of people in England 
might have more liberty. This man was General James 
Oglethorpe, a highl}^ respected man who had for some time 
been interested in the condition of English prisons and 
prisoners. 

It was a common thing at that time to throw a man into 
prison for failure to pay his debts. The prisons were so 
dark, dirty, dismal, and unhealthful that a prisoner suffered 
many hardships. If his friends did 
not come to his aid with food, cloth- 
ing, and other comforts, he was soon 
in a pitiful condition, suffering from 
hunger, cold, and disease. 

General Oglethorpe was full of 
sympathy for the many prisoners 
who were suffering so much for very 
light offenses. He at last thought 
of starting a colony in America with james Ogelthorpe. 
the purpose of sending some of the ogeithorpe-s sympathy for the 

, , 1 1 1 f ,1 oppressed led to the settlement 

prisoners to the new world tor another ^f Georgia. 
chance. 

The place selected for the colony was that land lying 
south of South Carolina along the Atlantic Ocean. Still 
farther south were the Spaniards, and the other colonies 
gladly welcomed neighbors in that direction because they 
thought such a settlement would be a defense against 
Spanish attacks. The English king thought so too, and in 
1732 granted Oglethorpe and his association a charter of 
the territory lying on the seacoast, south of South Carolina, 
between the Savannah and the Altamaha Rivers. The 
charter stated that the land was granted " in trust for the 
poor." It was called Georgia in honor of the English king. 




98 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Besides the poor debtors it was the plan of Oglethorpe 
and his friends to welcome all persecuted Protestants from 
all parts of Europe to the colony. 

The first group of emigrants to Georgia set out in 1732. 
When they reached America General Oglethorpe explored 
the Savannah River and selected as a site for his settle- 
ment a high bluff on the bank of that river. The little 
town thus started has grown to be the great city of Savannah 
of the present. Oglethorpe laid out the streets, leaving 
room for public parks, and sent the happy people to work 
with glad hearts, rejoicing that they were free and where 
they could have homes of their own. 

James Oglethorpe, like William Penn, believed that the 
Indians should be treated fairly. He not only paid them 
for their lands but also gave them many presents which 
they gladly accepted. Such kind treatment so won their 
friendship that the tribes for many miles around visited 
Oglethorpe, gave him presents, and traded with the Georgia 
settlers. 

Many settlers from different parts of Europe found their 
way to Georgia. Planned as a home for the oppressed, it 
drew colonists from Germany, Austria, Scotland, and else- 
where. Some people even left New England for Georgia. 

James Oglethorpe lived to be a very old man. He saw 
his little settlement grow into a successful colony and saw 
it unite with the twelve other colonics to declare itself inde- 
pendent of British rule. In the early days of the settle- 
ment he bravely and successfully defended it against the 
attacks of the Spanish from Florida. He forbade slavery 
in Georgia, or the importation of liquor. He was always 
such a friend of the poor and weak that they sought his 
advice on e\'ery variety of subject. For his good (|ualities, 
as well as his work in founding the last of the thirteen 



LORD BALTIMORE AND JAMES OGLETHORPE 99 

original English colonies, we should remember and honor 
James Oglethorpe. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. The Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics were persecuted in Europe. 

Did they all believe in religious freedom? 
II. What do you mean by religious liberty? 

III. General Oglethorpe was pul^lic spirited. Explain. 

IV. Oglethorpe laid out Savannah so that there would be space for 

public parks. Why did he do so? 
V. What do yf)u mean by " a home fcr the oppressed " ? 



CHAPTER XIX 

JAMES WOLFE AND THE WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND AND 
FRANCE IN AMERICA 

As you have learned, by the middle of the eighteenth 
century the English had made settlements along the Atlantic 
coast from Massachusetts to Georgia. You may see from 
the map that the English claimed the land far inland from 
the coast. In fact, although their settlements were all near 
the coast, the territory claimed by the English extended 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but, because of the explora- 
tions of La Salle and other Frenchmen, the French laid 
claim to large areas around the Great Lakes and in the 
Mississippi Valley, as well as in Canada, which last claim 
the English did not at this time contest. 

As France and England w^ere both eager to get possession 
of the rich Ohio country, both countries knew there would 
be trouble when settlers attempted to make homes there. 
In 1752 the French began to build a line of forts from Lake 
Erie to the Ohio River in order to keep the English back. 
The governor of Virginia protested against this action, but 
the French were determined to stand their ground and sent 
word back to Governor Dinwiddle, by his messenger, 
George Washington, that they would not give up their 
claims. They continued to build forts, and, after driving 
the English away from the spot where Pittsburgh now stands, 
at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, 
they built a fort there, also. This was called Fort Duquesne 
in honor of the governor of New France, or Canada. 

100 







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1 FRENCH 


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LI_ SPANISH ^""S^^-nS^ 


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This maj) iiulicntos the chiiins that led to disputes between the European 

nations 



JAMES WOLFE AND THE WAR 



101 



An expedition against this fort under the command of 
Washington failed. Then, in 1755, General Braddock, a 
famous EngHsh general, marched against it. He lost his life 
in the battle that followed, and his followers were driven 
back. The next year war was declared against the French 
by the English. In Europe this was called the " Seven 
Years' War ": in America, the " French and Indian War." 




Braddock's Defeat. 

The first year of the war in America was filled with failures 
for the English. This \a as largely due to the brilliant French 
General, Louis de Montcalm, who had been sent over from 
France to command the French troops. With the help of 
the Indians Montcalm succeeded in taking the English 
fort at Oswego, also Fort William Henry on Lake George, 
and Fort Edward on the Hudson River. The close of the 
year 1757 looked dark for the English. 

A change came the next year, however, for a new leader 
took charge of affairs in England. This was William Pitt, 



102 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

who very soon selected new men to take charge of the war 
in America. iVmong others chosen was the young general, 
James Wolfe. 

James Wolfe was the son of an English army officer. At 
the time of his appointment to the important position in 
America he was but thirty years of age. He had entered 
the army at the age of fifteen and, although always in ill 
health, he was faithful to all duties assigned him, even 
though his strength at times did not seem equal to the task. 

His duties as a soldier did not seem to lessen the time he 
devoted to his mother, of whom he was ever thoughtful. 
He carried on a regular correspondence with her wherever 
he was stationed. These letters show the kind of man he 
really was. His mother loved him because he was a faithful 
son. His soldiers admired and loved him because he alwaj^s 
treated them fairly, and because they believed in his ability 
as a leader. 

The first victory with which he was connected in America 
was the capture of Louisburg. The taking of this strong 
fortress with nearly six thousand French prisoners greatly 
encouraged the English. With that fort in their possession, 
and the St. Lawrence open to them, the}^ could sail directly 
to Quebec, the strongest of the French forts. 

Wolfe entered the St. Lawrence and landed his troops 
near Quebec. He planned to attack ]\Iontcalm, who com- 
manded the French, but there seemed to be no way to get 
into the city. Montcalm's army was strongly fortified on 
the top of a rocky hill by the riverside. 

The French army consisted of over sixteen thousand 
soldiers; Wolfe had about five thousand. More than one 
hundred cannon were mounted on the walls of the city. 
Every gate was barricaded and guarded by cannon. Along 
the river front lay gunboats and five large ships. So strongly 



JAMES WOLFE AND THE WAR 



103 



protected was the fort that it seemed impossible to 
take it. 

Wolfe's army took up a position across the river from 
Quebec and there spent the summer. There was some 







General James Wolfe Climbing the Heights of Abraham in 1759. 

fighting, but nothing was accomplished. The weather was 
very warm and there was a good deal of rain. But though 
many of the British soldiers were ill, and he was suffering 
severely from a fever, Wolfe would not give up his attempt 
to take Quebec. 



104 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

On a September day, as Wolfe was sailing up and down 
the river, trying to find some way to reach the French on 
top of the rocks, he saw through his spy glass a narrow path 
up the hillside. At last he had found a way to make an 
attack, for the hill was so steep that the French thought 
of it as their strongest defense, hardly taking the trouble 
to guard it. 

In the darkness of the night the English boats floated 
down the river. The men landed at the foot of the rocky 
shore, and, led by Wolfe, scrambled up the narrow pathway 
until they reached the open plains above, called the Plains 
of Abraham, directly in front of the city of Quebec. 

In the morning a French runner carried the news to 
Montcalm that the English were drawn up in readiness for 
battle on the Plains outside the city. It seemed impossible, 
but there they were — a solid wall of red-coated men ready 
to march upon the city on its weakest side. It truly was a 
" serious business," as Montcalm said when he saw Wolfe's 
arm}^ 

The watchword of the English was " Victory or death." 
They knew they must win or all would be lost, as no way 
was open to retreat. 

About ten o'clock, with Montcalm at their head, the 
French opened the attack. The English waited until the 
charging Frenchmen were but a short distance from them 
and then opened up a terrible fire that mowed the advancing 
army down like grass. Before they could recover, another 
volley was poured into the broken ranks. Then the English 
sprang forward with shouts of victory and rushed into the 
confused mass of Montcalm's army. 

Wolfe was in the thickest of the fight, encouraging his men 
and leading at-tacks. While at the head of a charge he 
received a wound in his wrist. He wrapped his handkerchief 



JAMES WOLFE AND THE WAR 105 

about his arm and went on. Soon he was wounded again. 
A third shot struck him in the breast. His soldiers caught 
him as he fell and carried him to the rear. He would not 
have a surgeon. " There's no need," he said, " it is all over 
with me." His thoughts were all of the battle. The cry, 
" They run, see how they run!" went up. " Wlio runs? " 
inquired Wolfe. " The enemy, sir; they give way every- 
where." With his last breath the dying hero said, " Now, 
God be praised; I die in peace." 

The brave Montcalm also was wounded while leading 
his men. When told by the surgeon that he could not live 
long, he said, " Thank God, I shall not live to see Quebec 
surrendered." 

With the fall of Quebec the French power in America was 
broken. The English were filled with joy over the victory. 
The French grieved over the loss of their valuable American 
possessions. In the homes of the two brave leaders there 
was mourning. The English mother and the French 
mother each mourned the loss of a son given for his country's 
sake. 

The treaty of peace was signed in 1763. By the terms of 
this treaty France gave to Spain all the territory west of the 
Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains; also the town of New 
Orleans. To England she gave Canada and all the terri- 
tory claimed by her east of the Mississippi River. 

In the governor's garden in Quebec there is an imposing 
monument erected in memory of the two great men who 
gave their lives in the battle of Quebec. On one side of the 
monument is the name Wolfe; on the other side, Mont- 
calm. The following inscription is on the stone: " Valor 
gave a united death, history a united fame, posterity a 
united monument." 



106 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why did the French and the Englif^h both want the Ohio country? 
II. Wolfe was very young when he was sent to America. Why was he 

selected? 
III. What does W^olfe's kindness towards his mother teach us about him? 
IV. W}n' was it difficult to capture Quebec? 

V. The English thought well of Montcalm and the French of Wolfe. 
Explain. 



CHAPTER XX 

PROJECT— IMPERSONATION BY PUPILS OF EXPLORERS 
AND PIONEERS 

By Mabel L. Bennett, Union County, N. J. 

Teacher's Aim: 

I. As a means of review and as a liasis for a l:)etter understanding of 
further development of American history, to teach the differ- 
ences between the English, Spanish, French and Dutch explora- 
tions and settlements. 

1. Regarding reasons for coming to America. 

2. Regarding ideals of life. 

3. Regarding geographic location. 

II. To have the children realize the courage and determination that 

characterized the pioneers. 
III. Comparison between then and now. 

Pupils' Aim: 

I. and II. To learn more about the English, Spanish, French and Dutch 
pioneers, by imagining that they themselves lived 400 or 
500 years ago. 
III. To compare the homes and lives of the children of that time 
with those of to-day. 

Procedure : 

(1) Have pupils choose one of their classmates to represent each of the 
following pioneers: e.g.: 

Spanish — Pizarro and de Soto. 
English — John Smith and Myles Standish. 
Dutch — Henry Hudson and Peter Minuit. 
French — Father Marquette and La Salle. 
107 



108 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

(2) Have them choose other pupils to represent the people of to-day 

who live in the part of the country to which each of the above 
explorers or colonists came, e.g., one pupil will pretend he is now 
living in Peru, and wall be able to tell Pizarro what kind of a 
place Peru is now; another will tell Henry Hudson about the 
Hudson River district as it is now. 

(3) Have the other pupils of the class choose to be sailors or colonists 

who came out with the pioneers, e.g., de Soto or Myles Standish, 
etc. (If the class be small, a longer time will, of course, be 
needed for this review,) 

Assignment : 

The following study questions are suggested to be given to the pupils 
who take the part of the explorers and their companions ; 

(1) From what country did you come? 

(2) Why did you come to America? 

(3) To what part of America did you come? 

(4) How did you treat the Indians and how did they treat j'ou? 

(5) Tell about some of your experiences. 

(6) What great good did you do for America? 

Assign the following to the pupils who represent the people of to-day, 
living in the parts of America to which the early settlers came, e.g. : 

Several pupils will pretend that they now live in New York City and 
will tell Henry Hudson and Peter Minuit about the big buildings, the 
modes of transportation, etc., there. Another in Canada, etc. 

Be able to tell these early explorers and colonists about the changes 
that have taken place since they were in America. (Have pupils illus- 
trate by use of pictures, maps, etc.) 

Suggestions : 

During the recitation, if desired, the pupils who take the part of the 
explorers and colonists may appear in the chronological order in which 
these people really appeared in history. (See list of important dates in 
this book.) 

Urge the pupils to make an attempt at wearing some article of costume 
illustrative of the country which they represent. (Look for pictures in 
all available geographies, histories, etc.) Or, they might make and carry 
the flag of the country from which they came. 



PROJECT — IMPERSONATION BY PUPILS 109 

Correlations : 

Geography: 

Good use should be made of geographies and maps in this project, 
e.g., Mexico, Canada, etc. 

English: 

Written as well as oral composition should be given in connection 
with this history work. Allow pupils to choose the characters whom 
they wish to represent and write about, e.g., pioneers, Indians, boys or 
girls of the early colonies. Urge initiative in the choice of titles, e.g., 
My experience with the Indians (Captain John Smith) ; Our Feast for 
Henry Hudson (Indian Chief who entertained Henry Hudson); My 
Home in the Pilgrim Colony (Pilgrim boy or girl), etc. 

Spelling: 

Words in connection with reading and composition work. 

Drawing: 

Have pupils illustrate their stories, by drawings or pictures cut 
from old histories, etc. 

Make Spanish, French, English, Dutch and American flags. 

Make a book to hold all of these stories. Keep it in the schoolroom 
as a part of the school library so that all pupils may have access to it. 

(A loose-leaf book is convenient.) 

Design a cover for the book. 

Reference Material: 

All available histories and geographies. 

Pioneer Stories Florence Bass 

Builders of Our Country , G. V. D. Soidhworth 

Colonial Days L. D. Welsh 



THE PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTION, MARKED BY 
THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE, THE CON- 
FEDERATION OF THE STATES, AND THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION 
OF THE UNITED STATES, 1775-1789, 14 YEARS. 

CHAPTER XXI 

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW NATION 

You will now study an account of the separation of the 
British colonies from the mother country. Great Britain, 
and of the leaders in the great movement for freedom 
which led to the setting up of a new government called the 
United States of America. 

The desire to be free was brought to America from Europe. 
There was a feeling in the colonies that America should be 
independent. There were great men who took an active 
part in preparing the way for the change that gave the 
colonies the right of self-government. 

A revolution means a change. In America this change 
from the customs of Europe had been going on from the 
time the first settlers reached America, but the final struggle 
which ended in setting up a new government lasted only a 
few years. This final struggle was called the Revolutionary 
War for many years, but of late it has been called the War 
for Independence. Wars do not come suddenly, however, 
as you will find if you have studied this book carefully. 
The cause of a war may be found to date back many years 
before the real fighting. 

110 



THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW NATION 111 

As you have studied the lives and work of great leaders 
among the explorers and settlers, you were asked to look 
for traits that made them great. One of these traits is that 
of '' serving." Service given by such men as Franklin, 
Samuel Adams, Washington, and other revolutionary 
leaders brought about freedom from foreign rule. Great 
men should be known as boys as well as men. Why? 
Look for other stories in your school books about the boy- 
hood days of such men as Washington and Franklin. 
Imagine yourself at play and at work with them. Why do 
you admire them as men? You should think about these 
great men after you have finished the stories of their lives. 

Note how the story of our country thus far has been 
like a series of links making a chain. Each link has been 
an event, a discovery, an exploration, a settlement made, 
an attempt to form a government by and for the people. 
Note, too, that men worked from the time of Columbus to 
Washington to make America into a home for free men. 



CHAPTER XXII 
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE UNION OF THE COLONIES 

It took the best thought and labor of many wise men to 
build the thirteen English colonies into a great nation. 
Every man about whom we have studied thus far did an 
important work in discovery, exploration, or colonization. 
After the settlements were firmly established, many im- 
portant questions arose in which all the colonies were inter- 
ested. Such questions were best settled by men who were 
interested in the whole group rather than in any particular 
colony. 

Benjamin Franklin was one of these men. He was a 
great American whose life was filled with good deeds done 
for his home city and for his country. Franklin was born 
in Boston in 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a 
soap boiler and candle maker. He planned to make a 
minister of Benjamin and sent him to school at eight years 
of age, expecting to fit him for college. As the Franklin 
family was large, however, it was not long before Benjamin's 
father took him out of school because of the expense. 

Benjamin worked for his father, at first making tallow 
candles, but he did not like that work or other trades in 
which his father tried to interest him. He liked books, 
and was happiest when he had something to read. 

As Benjamin's brother, James, was a printer, his father 
thought, at last, that he would have Benjamin work for 
James and become a printer. He was to work without 

112 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE UNION OF THE COLONIES 113 



pay until he was twenty-one years of age. This suited 
young Benjamin better than anything else. It suited him 
SO well that before he was sixteen he began to write articles 
to be printed in the paper. He did not dare to hand them 
to his brother, but would go at night to the office and slip 
them under the door. 
His brother printed 
them because he 
thought that some 
clever man must 
have written them. 
The boy wanted to 
do better, however, 
and, while working 
for his brother, bor- 
rowed books and 
spent all his spare 
time reading. 

Anxious as Benja- 
min was to become 
a good printer, mat- 
ters did not go well 
between the two 

brothers. When he Benjamin Franklin. 

was seventeen years As a writer, as an inventor, and as a statesman, Franklin 
n 1 • 1 J 1 ) served his country as few others have served it. 

01 age, his brother s 

treatment seemed to him so harsh that he decided to leave 
Boston and make his way in the world in some other city. 
He raised a little money by selling a few of his books, and 
in 1723 sailed for New York. 

He found no work for a printer in New York and decided 
to go to Philadelphia. To-day we may go from New York 
to Philadelphia by train in two hours, or even less by aero- 




114 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



plane. It took Benjamin Franklin several days to make 
the journey. He went by boat to Amboy, New Jersey. 
Because of a storm the journey took thirty hours. He had 
nothing to eat or drink during the trip and was ill when he 
arrived. The next morning, however, he was up early and 

started for Burlington, 
fifty miles away. Two 
daj^s hewalked through 
rain over muddy roads, 
and then took a boat 
from Burlington to 
Philadelphia. 

When he reached 
Philadelphia he was so 
tired and hungry that 
his first thought was 
of food. He went to 
a bakery where for 
three pennies he was 
given three large 
loaves. As the loaves 
were too large for his 
pockets, he tucked 
one under each arm, 
and, eating the other, 
started up Market 
Street. 




Benjamin Franklin as He Arrived in 
Philadelphia. 



After such a journey through rain and mud you may be 
sure his clothes were badly soiled. In muddy buckskin 
breeches, his pockets bulging with extra shirts and stockings, 
a loaf of bread under each arm, he made a funny picture. 
It was no wonder that a young girl who was standing in her 
doorway laughed as he passed. This girl, Deborah Read, 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE UNION OF THE COLONIES 115 

could not imagine that the strange-appearing lad would 
within a few years become her husband, and some years 
later be known as the greatest man in Philadelphia, with 
admirers throughout the world. 

As he soon found employment in a printing shop, it was 
not long before his employer found that Franklin had good 
judgment and a great deal of common sense. In fact, he 
did his work so well that he attracted the notice of Sir 



NOM. 1 08^ 




The AMERICAN 
WE E KLY MERCURY. 

Froffl Tburfiay OSiaber 2, to Tburfday (MobeTqt^ i/^a 

Pbiladelpbla and Its Shipping In 1740. (Heading of a Newspaper of the Time.) 

The Heading of a Newspaper of Franklin's Day. 



William Keith, the governor of Pennsylvania. The gov- 
ernor visited him at the shop and urged him to go to Lon- 
don to buy a press and type in order to set up a business 
of his own in Philadelphia. He promised Franklin that he 
would provide the money to buy whatever he needed to 
start a printing business; also that he would give him the 
public printing of Delaware and Pennsylvania. 

Franklin went to London, but the governor did not keep 
his promise. He did nothing for the young man, and Frank- 



116 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



lin was obliged to find work in London to provide himself 
with food and clothing. 

He remained in London two years and then returned to 
Philadelphia. Without looking for the governor's backing, 
he set up a business of his own. As there was only one 
newspaper in Philadelphia at that time, and that a poor 
one, he decided to start another, which he called the Pennsyl- 
vania Gazette. 

It was not easy to gather news in those days, for there 

were no railroads, telephones, or 
telegraph lines. Franklin succeeded 
in making a good paper, however. 
People liked it not only for the 
news it contained but also for the 
articles that he often wrote for it. 

Besides his newspaper Franklin 
published what he called '' Poor 
Richard's Almanac. ' ' This almanac 
was soon to be found in many 
homes, not only in the United 
States but also in England. It 
was popular for the information it 
contained on many subjects, but especiallj'- for the wise 
sayings that Franklin put in from year to year. 

The following are some of these maxims which are as 
good to-day as they were in Franklin's time: 

" Lost time is never found again." 

" There are no gains without pains." 

" Little strokes fell great oaks." 

" A word to the wise is enough." 

" One to-day is worth two to-morrows." 

It was not easy for Franklin to carry on his business. 
He was obliged to work hard. It was sometimes necessary 




A Hand Printing Press of 
Franklin's Time. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE UNION OF THE COLONIES 117 

for him to go himself with a wheelbarrow to get the paper 
needed for his newspaper and ahnanac. For a long time 
his breakfast consisted of bread and milk, eaten out of an 
earthen bowl with a pewter spoon. 

At the age of twenty-six he married Miss Deborah Read, 
the girl who laughed at him on his arrival in Philadelphia. 
She helped him by saving in the household and by selling 
stationery in the shop. 

As time went on Benjamin Franklin became prosperous. 
In 1736 he was elected to his first public office, clerk of the 
general assembly of Pennsylvania. The next year he was 
made deputy postmaster general of the colony. 

He established the first public library. Through his 
efforts an academy was opened, which later became the 
University of Pennsylvania. He invented the Franklin 
stove, which was a great improvement over the fire-place 
for heating houses. When he went to Philadelphia there 
were no street lights. He invented a light which proved 
to be much better than those used in London at that time. 
He had the streets cleaned and paved. 

When he was forty-six Franklin made the great scientific 
discovery that lightning is the same as electricity. He did 
this by means of a kite, on the top of which was a pointed 
wire. He flew this kite during a thunder shower and soon 
saw the little fibers on the string standing out stiffly. When 
he placed his knuckles near a key tied to the string, he saw 
a spark and felt a shock. This discovery added much to 
Franklin's fame. Some great universities in Europe gave 
him the title of Doctor; and he was now looked upon as 
one of the world's great men. 

In 1754 Franklin was called upon to give his services to his 
country in another way. As the French from Canada were 
taking possession of land claimed by the English, a meeting 



118 FOUNDEKS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

was called in Albany which representatives from the dif- 
ferent colonies were asked to attend. The purpose of the 
meeting was to find out what was the best thing that could 
be done to stop the French. 

Franklin's paper came out with the motto, " Unite or 
Die." Sent to the meeting in Albany as Pennsylvania's 
representative, he proposed a plan of union by which all 
the colonies might be united. The colonists thought so 
much of their independence, however, that when Frank- 
lin's plan was voted upon it was rejected. Nevertheless, 
it was not many years before they found that they needed 
to stand together if they were to have those rights which 
they had come to America to win. 

When trouble arose in Pennsylvania over the manner 
in which the heirs of William Penn were managing the colony, 
Franklin was sent to England to settle the matter. His 
discoveries had made the British people so well acquainted 
with him that he was warmly welcomed in England. The 
king gladly listened to him, and, at Franklin's suggestion, 
took the government of the colony into his own hands. 

Later, when the colonies felt that England was taxing 
them unjustly, they sent Franklin to England to present 
their claims. He showed great wisdom in his dealing with 
the king and his representatives, but he could not convince 
them that it was wrong to pass an act taxing the colonists 
when the colonies were not represented in the English law- 
making body. 

He stayed in England until the beginning of the Revo- 
lutionary War, or the War for Independence, as it is now 
called by many. When he reached home he was made a 
member of the Continental Congress which first met in 
Philadelphia in 1774. 

When it was proposed, in 1776, to draw up a Declaration 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE UNION OF THE COLONIES 119 



of Independence, Franklin was one of the five men selected 
for this important task. Though Thomas Jefferson actually 
wrote the Declaration, he doubtless discussed every item 
in it with the other members of the committee. 

After the colonies had declared themselves independent, 
and were at war 
with England, it 
became necessary 
to get money and 
arms if they were 
to win their cause. 
Again Franklin was 
chosen as their 
spokesman, this 
time to go to 
France, which coun- 
try they hoped 
would help them in 
their struggle for 
liberty. 

He met with a 
hearty welcome 
from the French 
people and was 
shown great re- 
spect and honor 
by their statesmen. 

So successful was he in his mission that the French agreed 
in 1778 to aid the colonists. The news of Franklin's suc- 
cess was most welcome to Washington who had fought 
under great difficulties so long. In 1781, when the war 
closed, men from England and from the colonies met in 
Paris in 1783 to sign the treaty of peace which was to make 




Framing the Declaration of Independence. 

Franklin is shown advising other Revolutionary leaders. 



120 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

the colonies a free nation. Franklin, of course, was one 
of those representing the colonies. 

The next step was to prepare a Constitution, under which 
all the colonies should be united into one nation, and which 
should make certain the rights and liberties of everyone. 
Franklin was one of the men who drew up this Constitu- 
tion under which we live to-day. 

Franklin died in Philadelphia in 1790 at the age of eighty- 
four years. He was mourned by the whole nation, for no 
American of his time did more for his country. 

TfflNGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What is an apprentice? Would you like to serve as Franklin did? 

Why? 
II. Why was it not easy to print a paper in Franklin's time? 

III. What made Poor Richard's Almanac famous? 

IV. How did Frankhn aid his city? 

V. How did he help to win the War for Independence? 
VI. "Why did his signing the Declaration of Independence and his giving 
help in making the Constitution of the United States add to his 
greatness? 
VII. Why is Franklin called one of the first great Americans? 



CHAPTER XXIII 

PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS AND THE DESIRE 

FOR LIBERTY 

For many years before the French and Indian War there 
had been disagreement between the mother country and 
her colonies in America. 

Many " Navigation Acts " were passed by the British 
government, the first in 1651. By these Acts the colonists 
were forbidden to trade with any country but England. 
For one hundred years the law was not enforced, however, 
and the colonies sent many goods to Spain, France, and the 
West Indies. 

When George II became king in 1760 he determined to 
rule the colonies as he wished. He soon made up his mind 
to enforce the " Navigation Acts " and, more than that, 
to see to it that the colonists obeyed them. 

The colonists believed these laws to be very unjust. 
They also realized that they would be ruined if their trade 
were meddled with in this way. They therefore paid little 
attention to the " Acts," and continued to trade with 
other countries, such as France and the West Indies. Now, 
however, this trade had to be carried on secretly, for, accord- 
ing to the " Acts," their ships were carrying smuggled goods. 

As much of this smuggled goods was hidden in their houses, 
the colonists soon found their homes subject to search by 
the king's officers, who, when given papers called " Writs 
of Assistance," entered any home and searched it. This 

121 



122 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

SO aroused the Americans that they sent numerous appeals 
to the king. He, however, would listen to none of them. 

As England faced a great debt at the close of the French 
and Indian War, the king asked the colonies to help pay it, 
although they had already given assistance in many other 
ways. Because the war had really meant more to England 
than to the American colonies, this did not seem fair. The 
colonists were willing to help pay the debt, but they refused 
to pay in the manner in which the king planned to collect it. 

He had a law passed called the Stamp Act by which he 
could oblige the colonists to put stamps, costing from a 
half penny to several pounds, on newspapers and legal docu- 
ments, such as deeds, notes, and wills. This act was 
passed in 1765, and the colonists were informed that by 
November of that year the Stamp Act w^ould be put into 
elTect. 

The colonists were very much opposed to the Stamp Act. 
They had two good reasons for not liking it. First of all, 
a part of the money was to be used to support a British 
army in the colonies, and, secondly, they did not feel that 
it was fair to be taxed by England unless some representa- 
tives from the colonies could have seats in the British law- 
making body to share in making laws for the American 
people. As James Otis declared in a stirring speech, 
" There must be no taxation without representation." 

From Massachusetts to Georgia the people were opposed 
to the Stamp Act. They had come to America to escape 
persecution, and they felt they had the right to have a voice 
in making the laws. To have a tax like this forced upon 
them was contrary to the ideals of a British subject or of 
an American colonist. All colonists were British subjects, 
and for that reason they might be called British, but, though 
they loved their mother country and were loyal to her, they 



PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS 123 

had a common cause and common sympathies which united 
them as Americans. 

In Virginia at that time Uved an able young lawyer named 
Patrick Henry who has been given a place among our great 
Americans for the stand that he took against the Stamp 
Act. He was a brilliant orator as well as a lawyer. When 
he arose in the courts to make a speech everybody gave 
attention. It is told that his father shed " tears of ecstasy " 
when he first heard Patrick speak in court. When his first 
trial came to an end his friends carried him in triumph 
around the courtyard on their shoulders. 

When the Virginia House of Burgesses, of which Henry 
was a member, met to discuss the Stamp Act, there was great 
excitement. Some supporters of the king did not wish to 
disobey his laws, but there were many who did not hesitate 
to speak against so unjust a law. In the midst of the debate: 
Patrick Henry sprang to his feet. He held a piece of paper, 
torn from a law book, on which he had written some reso- 
lutions. His resolutions condemned the Stamp Act as an 
attack upon American liberties. He defended his state- 
ments with a speech such as had never before been heard 
in America. In a ringing voice he set forth the rights of 
Virginians as given them by their charter, and showed that 
no tax could lawfully be collected unless the Virginia House 
of Burgesses levied it. 

At the close of his address everyone wanted the floor. 
The excitement was tremendous. Such action as Henry 
proposed meant trouble, and perhaps war with England. 

Suddenly Henry rose again. In a voice so loud and 
clear that no one could fail to hear and understand, he 
exclaimed, " Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his 
Cromwell, and George the Third " — " Treason! Treason! " 
cried the friends of the king. After all was quiet the orator 



124 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



earnestly continued, " may profit by their example. If 
this be treason," he added, " make the most of it." 

After more arguments for and against the resolutions, 
the men who at first opposed them were convinced that the 




Patrick Henry Speaking Before Virginia House of Burgesses. 

America needed a leader to voice the thoughts on liberty — Patrick Henry was such a leader. 

king's action should be condemned and the tax opposed. 
When a vote w^as taken, Patrick Henry's resolutions were 
passed, — the boldest declaration of colonial rights that had 
yet been made. 



PATRICK HENRY AND SAMEUL ADAMS 125 

In the English king's judgment Henry was guilty of 
treason, the worst of crimes. But Patrick Henry had no 
thought of treason. His request was only for justice from 
George IH. In this he had many supporters in England. 
Many Englishmen thought George III was unfair to the 
colonists. William Pitt, the British Prime Minister, in a 
great speech, said, " I rejoice that America has resisted." 

The Americans did resist. They would not buy the 
stamps. They burned them, tarred and feathered some of 
the stamp agents, and in every way possible showed the 
British king that they would not be taxed in the manner 
that he had planned. 

Patrick Henry was a leader in Virginia from the day of his 
speech in which he introduced his resolutions to the House 
of Burgesses. He finally became convinced that the colonies 
should free themselves from British rule and become inde- 
pendent. Soon afterward we find him openly favoring war. 
In a great speech in the House of Burgesses, he said, " What 
is it that the gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is 
life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price 
of chains or slavery? Forbid it. Almighty God! I know 
not what course others may take, but as for me, give me 
liberty or give me death." 

In all the colonies there was opposition to the Stamp Act. 
The merchants refused to import goods until it was repealed. 
Everywhere speeches were made, giving the same reasons 
as those given by Patrick Henry against the hated law. 

Finally, the king, who was very stubborn, decided to 
repeal the law, but at the same time he declared that the 
British Parliament had the right to tax the colonies. In 
1767 this right was enforced by laying a tax on the glass, 
lead, paper, and tea which might be used in the colonies. 

One of the first to oppose the Stamp Act in Massachu- 



126 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



setts was Samuel Adams who was born in Boston in 1722. 
His father was a well-to-do citizen who gave his son a good 
education in Harvard College. After graduating Adams 
went into business but later gave up his business to devote 
his whole time to public life. WTien the trouble arose over 
the Stamp Act he was forty-three years old. He was a 

leader among his towns- 
men who gladly followed 
his advice. 

When the new tax law 
was passed Adams advised 
against buying anything 
from England while such a 
law was in force. The colo- 
nists followed his sugges- 
tion, and English trade was 
hurt so much that the king 
was obliged to recall the 
law. But just to show the 
colonists that he did have 
a right to tax them the tax 
on tea was retained. 

The colonists were so act- 
Samuel Adams. ive in their opposition to 

Foremost among the leaders in M.nssachusetts ^J^^gg hSited taXeS that thc 
for Freedom of tiic colonies. 

British governor in Boston 
asked for troops to help keep order and enforce the law. Ac- 
cordingly, in 1768, two regiments of the king's troops were 
landed in Boston. The presence of these troops, " red- 
coats," or " lobsterbacks," as they were called, displeased 
the colonists so much that from time to time quarrels arose 
between the citizens and the troops. One day two years 
later some of the British soldiers became so angered at a 




PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS 



127 



crowd of citizens gathered on the Boston Common that 
they fired at them, kilHng several men. Enraged at this 
Boston Massacre, as it was called, the citizens held a great 
public meeting in Faneuil Hall, at which Samuel Adams 
urged that the king's regiments be withdrawn from the 
city. As it was plain to the British governor that, if 
the soldiers were not withdrawn, more bloodshed would 
follow, the troops 
were sent from the 
city to an island in 
the harbor. 

In 1773 word came 
to the citizens of 
Boston that ships 
loaded with tea were 
bound for America. 
You may be sure 
that the colonists 
were aroused when 
they heard that the 
taxed tea was to be 
landed in the colonies. They were fond of tea, but they 
were determined not to have tea upon which they were 
obliged to pay a tax. When the ships laden with tea 
arrived in New York the people refused to let them 
land. Tea was brought ashore in Charlestown, but, as the 
people would not allow it to be sold, it was stored in 
damp cellars, where it spoiled. 

In Boston the governor was not friendly to the colon- 
ists. He was called a Tory, as were all colonists who were 
more in favor of England than the colonies. As this Tory 
governor would not allow the ships to return to England 
as the colonists desired they should, another great meeting 



1 ^. 



Faneuil Hall, Boston. 

This building is often called the "Cradle of Liberty" be- 
cause of the many meetings held there to protest the 
claims of Great Britain to tax the colonies. 



128 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

was called at the Old South Church. When a last request 
to have the ships returned to their home ports was refused, 
Samuel Adams, who was in charge of the meeting, said, 
" Then this meeting can do no more to save the country." 

It had been agreed that this remark should be a signal 
for action. A war whoop was heard on the street, and 
about fifty men dressed as Indians started down Milk 
Street towards the dock where the tea ships were at anchor. 
These " Indians " quickly boarded the ships and, while 
great crowds gathered on the docks to watch them, carried 
three hundred and forty-two chests of tea to the rail of the 
ships, chopped them open with their tomahawks and threw 
them into the sea. It was not long before the whole country 
had heard of the "Boston Tea Party." Every true Amer- 
ican rejoiced in the bravery of Samuel Adams and his 
followers, who had thus shown the English king that the 
Americans would not pay his tax. 

But the king determined to punish the people of Massa- 
chusetts for resisting his laws. He closed the port of 
Boston to all ships except British war vessels. This cut 
off much of New England's trade and caused much suf- 
fering. Next he made General Gage governor of Massachu- 
setts and denied the right of the colonists to have any voice 
in making the laws. The people of Massachusetts soon 
formed a government of their own, making John Hancock 
president. 

In 1774 a meeting of delegates from all the colonies met 
in Philadelphia. This was the First Continental Congress. 
Samuel Adams, who was there, took a leading part in the 
debates over the necessity for union among the colonies 
as a better protection against England. He was one of the 
few men who even at that time argued that the colonies 
should become independent of England. For his many 



PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS 



129 



speeches and writings about the rights of the colonists he 
was called the " Father of the Revolution." 

In order that the colonists might be ready at a moment's 
notice to defend themselves against the English army, a 
small army of " minute men " was organized. This army 
was made up of farmers, shopmen, and others who promised 
to march to any point of danger 
whenever they were called. 

General Gage heard that the 
Americans had collected some army 
supplies at Concord, about twenty 
miles from Boston. He planned 
to seize these suppUes. On the 
night of April 18, 1775, he sent 
out some soldiers to take whatever 
they could find in Concord. 

General Gage hoped to surprise 
the Americans, but he was disap- 
pointed. The Americans learned 
his plans, and, when the soldiers 
started for Concord, two men, 
Paul Revere and William Dawes, 
mounted swift horses and galloped 
off on different roads to warn the 
people that the British were com- 
ing. 

With the cry, " To arms! to arms! The British regulars 
are coming!", they rode through the night. Revere reached 
Lexington on the way to Concord in time to warn Samuel 
Adams and John Hancock whom the British hoped to 
capture. These two patriots made their escape by running 
across the fields as the British regulars marched into the 
town. 




A Minute Man. 



130 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



On the village green the British came face to face with a 
small body of minute men who had heard of Revere's warn- 
ing and had quickly gathered to give battle if it were 
necessar}^ 

Captain Parker was in command. His orders to his men 

were, ''Stand your 
ground. Don't fire un- 
less fired upon. But if 
they mean to have a 
war, let it begin here." 
"WTien the British ap- 
peared, Major Pitcairn, 
their conmiander, rode 
forward and shouted, 
" Disperse, ye rebels! " 
No one moved . Pitcairn 
gave the order to fire, 
and eight Americans 
fell. The Revolution 
had begun. 

The British then 
marched to Concord 
and destroyed the army 
stores. There was hard 
fighting there, and when 
they set out for Boston 
minute men fired upon 
them from every tree and hiding place along the roadway. 
Many of the regulars were killed, and those who reached 
Lexington, where they were met by other British soldiers, 
were nearly worn out by their efforts to defend themselves 
against the Americans. 

The first real bottle of the Revolution was fought on 




The Old North Church, Boston. 

From the tower of this church lanterns were hung, 
April 18, 1775, as a warning to Paul Revere to 
rouse the minute men to attack the British. 



PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS 



131 



Bunker Hill in Charlestown, just out of Boston. On the 
morning of June 17, 1775, when General Gage awoke, he 
was astonished to find that the Americans had fortified 
Bunker Hill, From their fortifications they could fire into 
his camp. Quickly making up his mind that he must fight, 




Battle of Lexington. 

Here was fired the shot "Heard Round the World. "(Note — See poem, Concord Hymn, by 
Ralph Waldo Emerson.) 



he sent three thousand soldiers against the fifteen hundred 
Americans awaiting them on the hilltop. The Americans 
fought so bravely that they drove the British down the 
hill twice with great loss of life. But as their ammunition 
was exhausted with the second attack, the British drove 
them from the hill when they advanced the third time. 
Among those who fell on the American side was the brave 



132 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



Doctor Joseph Warren who had been very active in defend- 
ing the rights of the colonists. Bunker Hill was a victory 
for the British, but it helped to unite the colonists in their 
fight for liberty. 

Samuel Adams served his country in many ways. In 
1776 he was a member of the Congress that passed upon 
the greatest document in the history of our country, " The 
Declaration of Independence." His friend, John Hancock, 




Rattle of Bunker Hill. 

Tlie first important conflict in the strniit;''' for ^'roprlom from Englisli rule. 



was there and was the first to sign. He put his name down 
in large letters so that, as he said, " The English king may 
read it without spectacles." One of the signers remarked, 
" We must all hang together now." '' Yes," said the witty 
Franklin, " or we shall all hang separately." 

After independence had been won by the colonies, a Con- 
stitution, under which they might live as one nation, w^as 
offered them for discussion. Patrick Henry and Samuel 
Adams both opposed this Constitution because they 



PATRICK HENRY AND SAMUEL ADAMS 133 

thought it took too much power from the individual states. 
But as Washington, Frankhn, and Hamilton, with many 
other leaders, were in favor of the new Constitution, it 
was finally adopted. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why did George III wish to control America's trade? 
II. Wh}^ should the colonists have helped to pay the debt caused by 
the French and Indian War? 

III. Why did the Americans wish to make their own laws? 

IV. Many people in England thought the colonists should not be taxed 

as George III planned. Why did they think so? 
V. Why was the tea thrown from the British ships into Boston Harbor? 
VI. What was the Continental Congress for? 
VII. What is meant by, " Give me liberty or give me death " ? 



CHAPTER XXIV 
GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 

In the history of any country there has often been one 
man who stood out above all others as the greatest. The 
United States has had many great men, but George Wash- 
ington, whose life story you have perhaps read in other 
books, holds first place in the hearts of his countrymen. 
He is called ^' The Father of his Countr^^" It will interest 
you, I am sure, to read more about Washington's life and 
work, for he was one of the foremost of the world's great 
leaders and champions of liberty. 

He was born in Westmoreland Countj^, Virginia, in 1732. 
His early childhood was passed near Fredericksburg on a 
large estate. Here he attended a small school taught by 
the sexton of the church. The master was not a first class 
teacher, the building was poor, and books were few. George 
learned a little reading, a little writing, and a little arith- 
metic, which he called ciphering. 

Young Washington and the other school boys had the fields 
as a playground. He was looked upon as a leader among 
the boys because he could beat all others in running, jump- 
ing, or throwing. The boys called him " Captain George " 
and loved to follow him when he drew his wooden sword 
and shouted for his brave band to " come on." 

When George was eleven years old his father died, leaving 
to him an estate on the Rappahannock River and to his 
brother Lawrence the large estate on the Potomac. 

134 



GEORGE WASHINGTON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 135 

Lawrence Washington had been educated in Europe, and 
had later fought in the Spanish wars in the West Indies. 
He named his estate Mount Vernon, after Admiral Vernon, 
under whom he had fought. 

A third son, Augustine, received an estate on Bridges 
Creek in Westmoreland County. As there was a good 
school near Bridges Creek, George was sent to live with his 
brother so that he could attend that school. 

Bztract from Washington's //f-^/f' 
Copy Book. J 

An Extract from Washington's Copy Book. 

His copy books made in that school still exist. They 
were done very neatly. They show that he had already 
formed the habit of being careful and doing all tasks well. 
He entered into all the sports boys enjoy and excelled in 
whatever he attempted. 

During these years his mother looked after him carefully. 
She was kind, firm, and possessed much practical sense. 
To her training we must give credit for the many good 
traits that Washington possessed. 

Lawrence Washington married the daughter of his neigh- 




136 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

bor, Lord Fairfax. When George visited his brother at 
Mount Vernon he became acquainted with Lord Fairfax 
and soon became a great favorite of the Enghsh Lord. 
They spent many hours together ridhig or hunting over 
Fairfax's vast plantation. 

By the tune Washington was sixteen years of age he had 
become a first class surveyor. His love of outdoor life 
probably encouraged him to give his attention to this work. 
When his friend, Lord Fairfax, wanted his estate surveyed, 
young Washington, though hardly seventeen years of age, 
undertook the work. He set out with one companion to 
survey the property which was made up largely of an 
of an almost untouched wilderness. 

It was a difficult task that he undertook. He was 
obliged to spend days and nights in the woods. His food 
was the game that he could kill and his bed a pile of grass 
or brush on the ground by a fire made of sticks gathered 
from the woods. During the time that he was surveying 
he kept a diary of his experiences. The life was hard, but 
it helped to fit him for more important labors which he was 
soon to undertake. His report of his surveys so pleased 
Lord Fairfax that he had him appointed public surveyor 
of Culpeper County. 

\ATien George Washington was twenty his brother 
Lawrence died, leaving Mount Vernon to his young daughter. 
As she, too, died in a short time, George became the owner 
of Mount Vernon. With this added to his other land, he 
was kept busy looking after the servants and directing the 
farm work. He was soon called, however, to do an impor- 
tant work for his country. 

You have learned of tlu^ French and Indian War over 
the claims to the land in the Ohio and Mississippi Valley. 
Washington took an important part in that struggle. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 137 

When the Enghsh learned that the French w ere building 
forts to defend their rights in the land west of the Alleghany 
Mountains, they were very much aroused. Governor 
Dinwiddle of Virginia sent letters to England explaining 
the danger to the English colonies. From England he 
received instructions to di'ive the French out of that 
country by force of arms if they would not go peacefull}^ 

A letter was prepared to be sent to the French commander 
at Fort Le Boeuf, a short distance south of Lake Erie. It 
was easier to write letters, however, than to get a messenger 
to take them over the dangerous way which led through 
the forests of Virginia to Fort Le Boeuf. Governor Din- 
widdle was familiar with Washington's ability, knew that 
he was to be trusted, and that he possessed the courage 
to overcome the difficulties of a hard journey through a 
strange country. In the middle of November the young 
man set out with the governor's letter. He traveled five 
hundred miles through the snow, through dense woods, 
over swollen streams. On December 11 he reached the 
fort and delivered the message. 

The French were unwilling to give up the lands to the 
English and stated this in a letter which was given to 
Washington to carry back to Virginia. The journey back 
was filled wdth adventures. Washington nearly lost his 
life when he fell off a raft on which he and his companions 
were crossing an ice-filled river. A faithless Indian at- 
tempted to shoot him. The weather was terribly cold. 
It was very difficult to get food and water. However, he 
succeeded in escaping the many -dangers of the journey, 
finally arrived at Williamsburg, the capital of Virginia, and 
delivered the French letter to Governor Dinwiddle. 

He kept a careful account of all the incidents of his 
journey. He set down in his journal the condition of the 



138 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



countiy through which he travelled. Governor Dinwiddle 
considered this journal so valuable that he had a copy 
made of it for each of the colonial governors. 




George Washington. 

"First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of his Countrymen." 

The letter from the French was not satisfactory, but 
Washington's success in making the journey and the valu- 
able information that he obtained made him the hero of 



GEORGE WASHINGTON WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 139 

the hour. He was already a major on the governor's staff; 
he was made a colonel when he returned from his trip. 

It was clear to the English that the French must be driven 
out by force of arms if they were to leave the Ohio country. 
Colonel Washington, who was even now only twenty-three, 
was soon on his way to get possession of the land near the 
Ohio River. He commanded one hundred and fifty men. 
Others had been sent ahead to build a fort where the Alle- 
gheny and Monongahela Rivers unite to form the Ohio. 
A short time after he started, Washington received news 
that the French had driven these men away, had seized the 
land, and were building Fort Duquesne on the site selected 
by the English. 

This was discouraging news for Washington but he con- 
tinued his journey. When he had traveled about half way to 
Fort Duquesne an Indian came to him with the news that 
the French were coming to attack him. He hastily threw 
up some rough earthworks and waited for the French. This 
rough fort was called Fort Necessity. The French did 
attack him, their forces so greatly outnumbering his that 
he was obliged to surrender and return to Virginia. 

For a time Washington enjoyed the life of a planter at 
Mount Vernon. It was but two years, though, before he 
was again on his way to drive out the French. This time 
he was with General Braddock who had been sent from 
England with the British troops to proceed against Fort 
Duquesne. 

General Braddock was thought to be a fine commander. 
He had been very successful in wars in other countries but 
he had never fought American Indians. Washington 
attempted to warn him of the danger of marching against 
the French and Indians as he would against an army in 
Europe. Braddock laughed at him. His army marched 



140 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

on with colors flying, drums beating, bayonets flashing, the 
red coats of the soldiers showing brightly in the sun. Before 
Braddock or his soldiers knew they were near, the Indians 
burst upon them from the woods. They fought from the 
bushes, behind trees, from everywhere there was a place to 
hide. The British soldiers fell on all sides. They could 
see no enemy and did not know what to do, for they had 
never fought such men. Soon they became panic-stricken 
and bewildered. Many were killed by their own comrades. 

During the battle Washington and the Virginians fought 
in true Indian fashion. He was everywhere, encouraging 
his men to seek shelter and do what they could to protect 
the British soldiers who were helpless against the foe. 
When General Braddock, their commander, was shot down, 
the British Regulars broke and ran. Such a defeat was 
discouraging to Washington and the Virginians. He was 
soon busy, however, making new plans to capture Fort 
Duquesne. 

Another battle was not necessary. The French became 
frightened and destroyed Fort Duquesne on the very day 
that Washington was about to attack them. The fort was 
rebuilt by the English and named Fort Pitt. 

Washington resigned from the army and returned to 
Mount Vernon. In the same year he married Martha 
Custis, a young widow, who owned great estates in Virginia 
and belonged to one of the best known Virginian families. 
With his vast plantations Washington became one of the 
greatest land-holders in the colonies. 

He loved life in the country. He took an active interest 
in his estates and each day could be seen riding from place 
to place, directing and sometimes helping with the farm 
work. He enjoyed hunting, and, by the side of his friend, 
Lord Fairfax, took great pleasure in following the hounds 



GEORGE WASHINGTON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 141 

in fox hunts. He and Mrs. Washington entertained their 
friends at Mount Vernon. Sometimes, as was the custom 
of the time, whole famihes would come for a week's stay. 
The Washington home always offered a hearty welcome to all. 

While living the life of a Virginia gentleman, Washington 
took great interest in the affairs of the country. As you 
have learned, the history of our country during the period 
following the French and Indian War was filled with impor- 
tant events. Many questions arose over the treatment of 
the colonies by Great Britain. 

Following the closing of the port of Boston by the British 
king because of his anger over the " Boston Tea Party," 
a meeting of delegates from the different colonies was called 
at Philadelphia. It was called the First Continental Con- 
gress. It met on September 5, 1774. Washington was 
was one of the representatives from Virginia. He also was 
one of the delegates from Virginia to the Continental Con- 
gress which met in May, 1775. This body elected him 
Commander-in-chief of the American army to carry on the 
war against Great Britain. He accepted the office 'out 
would take no salary. He asked to be paid only his actual 
expenses. 

On June 21 Washington was on his way to Boston 
to take command of the army. The battle of Lexington 
had already been fought. The people were aroused and 
were anxious to have one whom they could trust in command 
of the army. Before he reached Boston the battle of 
Bunker Hill took place. When he heard the news he asked, 
" Did the American troops stand the fire of the British 
Regulars? " '' Yes," was the reply. " Then," cried Wash- 
ington, " the liberties of the country are safe! " 

He reached Cambridge on July 21. On the next day he 
took command of the troops. The tree under which he 



142 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

stood on this occasion still stands, and is known as the 
Washington Elm. 

The army that Washington found around Boston was 
made up of about sixteen thousand untrained men. Some 
had fought Indians but not armies. They were poorly 
provided with guns and ammunition. He set about to drill 
them and enforce the obedience necessary to make soldiers. 
He also sent messengers over the country to obtain guns, 
powder, and shot wherever they could borrow or buy. One 
daj^ he was greatly pleased to greet General Knox who 
came to him with forty cannon which he had dragged o\'er 
the snow with ox teams and sleds from Fort Ticonderoga 
which had been recently captured by the Americans. 

As Washmgton now felt prepared to drive the British 
from Boston, one night in March, 1776, troops and supplies 
were moved to Dorchester Heights overlooking Boston. 
When the British awoke the next morning they rubbed 
their eyes in surprise. They saw fortifications on Dor- 
chester Heights. Back of the fortifications were Americans 
ready to destroy the British army. The Americans had 
done more in a night than it seemed they could have done 
in a week. General Howe, the British commander, had 
wished for " the rebels to attack him," but when he saw 
how strong their position was he gave up all hope of 
successfully attacking them and sailed away to Halifax 
with his army. In his haste to get away he left behind 
great stores of guns and ammunition. 

General Washington knew the British would soon attempt 
to gain possession of New York in order to control the Hud- 
son River and separate New England from the other colonies. 
He left Boston with a part of his army and marched to New 
York. He was joined there by raw recruits until his army 
numbered nearly eighteen thousand men. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 143 

While at New York Washington and his men heard of 
the adoption of the Declaration of Independence at Phila- 
delphia on July 4, 1776. They had hardly heard this news, 
however, before a British army much larger than Wash- 
ington's, under the command of General Howe, was landed 
on vStaten Island. 

In August the British army advanced against the Ameri- 
cans on Long Island, and it was not long before Washington 
was obliged to retreat. He crossed the Hudson River and 
hastened across New Jersey. At times it looked as if the 
little army would surely be captured, but Washington 
managed to reach the Delaware River where he seized all 
the boats for miles along its bank and crossed over into 
Pennsylvania. As Cornwallis could get no boats the 
Americans were safe for a while. 

Lord Cornwallis left about fifteen hundred soldiers at 
Trenton. His intention was to cross the Delaware as 
soon as it was frozen and attack Washington's army. He 
placed other divisions of his army at various places in New 
Jersey. 

The troops at Trenton were a part of the Hessian army 
that King George III had been obliged to hire in Germany 
because there were so few Englishmen, Scotchmen, Irishmen, 
or Welshmen desired to fight America. On Christmas eve, 
while they were celebrating, Washington and a part of his 
army crossed the Delaware in small boats. The night was 
stormy, the wind blew, and it was dark and cold. Great 
cakes of ice floated in the river. At four o'clock in the 
morning the Hessians were awakened from their pleasant 
sleep following the celebration to be taken prisoners by the 
little army that they had thought was on the other side of 
the river. 

This victory caused great rejoicing in the colonies. 



144 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Many had thought the Ainericaii cause k)st when Wash- 
ington was th-i\'en across New Jersey. Lord CornwaUis 
was so sure of it that he had aheady made preparations 
to go back to England. After the visit of Washington to 
Trenton he decided to make a longer stay. 

The victory at Trenton encouraged Washington, but it 
did not end his troubles. He needed money to pay his 
soldiers and provide supplies for the army. Many of the 
soldiers would be obliged to leave the army and go back 
to their farms unless they could have money to send to 
their families. 

Washington, in his need, turned to his friend, Robert 
Morris of Philadelphia. Robert Morris had already helped 
the American cause by loaning large sums of money. He 
could not secure all that Washington wanted at this time 
but he went from house to house to get from each man all 
he could loan. In this manner he succeeded in raising 
$50,000 which he sent to Washington. 

On January 3, 1777, Washington attacked a part of Corn- 
waUis' army at Princeton and w^on another victory. He 
then went to Morristown and spent the winter raising new 
troops and improving his army in whatever w^ay he could. 

During the summer of 1777 the British took Philadelphia. 
Washington's army was defeated at Brand3avine, twenty- 
five miles from Philadelphia. The battle at Germantown 
was another loss for the Americans. The winter of 1778 
found Washington and his army at Valley Forge. This 
winter was very severe. The men were poorly clad. 
Many did not have shoes and often the snow w^as red from 
bleeding feet. Many cold nights were spent by the men 
huddled around a camp fire. ' There were no blankets to 
sleep on. 

With the coming of the spring, the Americans received 



GEOEGE WASHINGTON WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 145 

news from New York State and then from France that made 
them all happy. Dr. Franklin had succeeded, after a great 
victory had been won over the British at Saratoga, in getting 
France to aid the Americans. 

Several officers from Europe offered their services to 
Washington about the same time. Among them was Baron 
von Steuben, a Prussian, and the Marquis de Lafayette. 
These men helped to drill Washington's army, and in many 
ways gave him much encouragement. Lafayette gave from 
his private fortune to buy clothing and supplies for the 
soldiers. 

There were some men in the American army who hindered 
Washington in his efforts to drive the British army from 
America. One of these was Benedict Arnold. He had 
been a trusted officer and had won some great victories 
over the British. Because of a wrong that he felt Con- 
gress had done hun in not promoting him as he desired, he 
turned traitor. He asked to be made commander at West 
Point which was a strong fort on the Hudson River. As 
soon as he was given this position, he planned to surrender 
it to the British. His messenger, Major Andre of the 
British army, was captured by some Americans. The maps 
of the fort and plans as to how it was to be surrendered to 
the British were found upon Andre. The young British 
officer was hanged as a spy. Arnold escaped and later 
served as a general in the British army. No one ever 
trusted him nor had any respect for him. When he was 
on his death bed he had his old American uniform brought 
to him. He asked to have it put on him, and then died with 
a prayer that lie might be forgiven for deserting his country. 
His plot ended in what happens to all traitors — disgrace, 
dishonor, and sorrow. 

During the two years following the winter at Valley 



146 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Forge, most of the fighting was done in the South. The 
leading American general there was General Nathanael 
Greene, whose army Lord Cornwailis spent many months 
trying to captm*e. General Greene's army was defeated 
at Guilford Court House, but the British loss was so great 
in the battle that it was not long before Cornwailis was 
driven out of South and North Carolina into Virginia. 
Greene received a great deal of help from such men as 
Francis Marion and Daniel Morgan, whose victory over 
part of Cornwailis' army at Cowpens helped greatly to 
cause Cornwailis to leave South Carolina. 

Francis Marion commanded a small group of loyal Ameri- 
cans who furnished their own food, horses, and guns. These 
men did great damage to the British army by suddenly 
appearing from the woods or swamps and as quickly dis- 
appearing, after the}^ had done as much harm to the British 
as possible. So difficult was it to tell where Marion and 
his men found hiding places that he was called the " swamp 
fox." 

Lafayette also gave General Greene valuable assistance 
by keeping Cornwailis busy in an attempt to capture him. 
Cornwailis thought Lafayette, who was not much over 
twenty at this time, was a boy, but the boy was always too 
sharp for the British general. 

After he found that he could do nothing against the 
young Frenchman, Cornwailis took his army to Yorktown, 
Virginia, and began to put up fortifications. Washington 
at that time was watching the British army in New York. 
As soon as he heard that Cornwailis had shut himself up 
at Yorktown, he made plans to captiu'e him and his men. 
Arrangements were made to have tlu^ French fleet keep 
the British from getting help to the army at Yorktown 
from the sea. Then, leaving a part of his troops near New 



GEORGE WASHINGTON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 147 

York in order that the British commander there might not 
know his plans, Washington hurried his army to Virginia 
and united with Lafayette in an attack upon Cornwalhs. 
The British held out for a week under the severe fire of 




Surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, 1781. 

The closing scene of the struggle for Independence. 



the American guns. One house in the town had over a 
hundred cannon balls in it. On October 19, 1781, Corn- 
wallis saw that it was useless to continue the battle and 
surrendered to Washington. His army marched from the 
city to the tune of " Yankee Doodle." The Americans and 



148 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

the French were drawn up in long Hnes facing each other. 
Between these hnes marched the defeated British army. 
You may be sure that it was a great day for Washington 
and for our beloved country. 

The news of Cornwallis' defeat was carried from colony 
to colony by swift horsemen who were everywhere welcomed 
by the happy Americans. They knew that Washington's 
victory would end the war and set the colonists free from 
British rule. A year later a treaty of peace was made. 
By this treaty, which was signed in Paris in January, 1783, 
by Benjamin Franklin and three other leading Americans, 
the colonies gained the right to govern themselves. The 
United States became independent and took its place among 
the nations of the world. 

Washington resigned his position as commander-in-chief 
of the American army, and, after bidding his officers fare- 
well, went to his home in Virginia. He had given much 
for his country's sake, but he later was called upon to give 
still more. 

After the War for Independence was over it was found 
necessary to call a meeting of the leading men from the 
different colonies to form a plan of goverimient for the new 
nation. This meeting or convention was called at Phila- 
delphia in 1787. Washington was president of the con- 
vention. After several months of discussion, a great 
document was drawn up and signed by thirty-nine delegates. 
Washington was the first signer, and among others was 
Benjamin Franklin who was now an old man eightj'-two 
years of age. This famous document was the Constitution 
of the United States of America. From 1789 until the 
present time it has been the supreme law of our country. 

This Constitution provided that a president of the United 
States should be chosen. When it came time to select one 



GEORGE WASHINGTON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 149 

all thought Washington the man who could best perform 
the duties of that office. He was elected, and on April 30, 
1789, in the city of New York, the capital of the United 
States, Washington took the oath of office as president. 

After he had served his country for eight years as presi- 
dent, he bade the American people farewell in a great paper 
called Washington's Farewell Address. He retired to his 
home at Mount Vernon and spent the next two years look- 
ing after the great plantation which he loved so well. In 
December, 1799, while riding in a severe storm, he caught 
cold and died after a brief illness of two days. 

The '' father of his country " was mourned throughout 
the land. Even the British ships lowered their flags to 
half mast. The French people went into mourning for ten 
days. 

The fame of Washington will last as long as there are 
Americans. He always stood for liberty and justice. His 
wisdom is shown by his great success whenever he was 
called by his countrymen to protect the country's welfare. 
He not only won independence but helped to give the new 
country a government which made independence secure. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What do 3''ou find in Washington's boyhood that would help him 

as a man? 
II. Why was Washington selected to carry the Virguiia governor's 
letter to the French commander? 

III. What training helped to prepare Washington for a soldier's life? 

IV. Washington could fight the Indians better than General Braddock. 

Why? 
V. The Americans had confidence in Washington. WTiat does this 

mean? 
VI. Why did General Howe call the Americans rebels? 
VII. Why was the victory at Trenton important? 



150 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

VIII. Washington was defeated many times but he did not give up. 
What does this fact show about him? 
iX. Wliat is a traitor? 'Wliat should be done with traitors? 
X. Some people say that we repaid France during the last war. 

What do they mean? 
XI. Why do we call Washington, " The Father of his Country " ? 



CHAPTER XXV 

JOHN PAUL JONES AND THE BEGINNING OF THE 
AMERICAN NAVY 

The colonies had no navy at the beginning of the War 
for Independence. As Great Britain possessed one her 
vessels could go and come wherever and whenever she might 
desire. The colonists, however, were skillful and daring 
sailors, for they owned many merchant ships. There was 
not so much difference then as now between merchant 
vessels and war vessels. When war came many merchants 
armed their ships and sent them to sea to fight. They were 
called privateers. As these privateers were used as their 
owners wished, Congress acquired some vessels of its own. 
In charge of one of these naval vessels was a young lieu- 
tenant named John Paul Jones. 

John Paul Jones was the son of a Scotch gardener named 
William Paul. William Paul had another son, also named 
William, who was adopted by a wealthy Virginian named 
William Jones. Mr. Jones gave the boy the name Jones. 
While sailing on the brig, Friendship, John visited his 
brother William in Virginia. Mr. Jones liked John so well 
that he offered to adopt him, too, but the lad preferred the 
sea and did not accept Mr. Jones' kind offer. John Paul 
continued on the sea and made several trips across the 
Atlantic. He was promoted from time to time until he 
became a captain and part owner of a vessel. 

John's brother, William Paul Jones, died in 1773. Wil- 
liam Jones died soon after, leaving his estate to John Paul 

151 



152 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



on condition that he would take the name of Jones. He 

thus became known as John Paul Jones. 

The training of John Paul Jones on the seas fitted him 

to take an active part in the work of the first American 

navy. He was with the little 
squadron of four vessels that sailed 
in 1776 for Fort Nasasu on one 
of the Bahama Islands. From the 
masthead of his vessel floated a 
flag made of yellow silk on which 
was coiled a rattle snake with the 
motto, "Don't tread on me!" 
printed below. The fort was 
taken, along with many supplies 
and several cannon. Afterwards, 
as commander of the Providence, 
Jones captured sixteen British 
vessels in six weeks. 

In 1777 Jones was called before 
Congress in Philadelphia and his 
advice asked as to the best course 
to follow on the sea. He surprised 
his hearers by stating that the, 
best thing to do was to fit out ships 
and attack British vessels in British 
waters. This seemed too daring a 
thing to do, but finall}^ the plan 

Statue of John Paul Jones in ^yas approved, the Ranqer was fitted 

Washington, D. C. , i i • xi 

out, and he was given the com- 
mand. On this vessel he unfurled the new flag, the 
*' Stars and Stripes," which had been adopted by Congress 
June 14, 1777. 

About the time that the Ramjer was ready to sail other 




JOHN PAUL JONES — BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN NAVY 153 

great events occurred in the colonies. i\s yon have learned, 
the British attempted to cut New England off from the 
other colonies by getting possession of the Hudson River. 
Burgoyne's army made its way from the North to meet 
another army from the South. This Southern army was 
delayed, however, until it was too late to help. General 
Schuyler commanding the Americans met Burgoyne at 
Saratoga, and, after a desperate battle, compelled him to 
surrender. 

The glad news of the victory at Saratoga was carried to 
Jones, who sped away to France. Dr. Franklin was there 
trying to get the French to aid his country. How happy 
he was when Jones arrived with the news of Burgoyne's 
defeat. Soon after John Paul Jones reached Paris, France 
agreed to send aid to America. 

Jones at once ventured into British waters where he met 
the Drake, a sloop of war. The Drake was much larger 
than the Ranger, but Jones' daring made up for the lack of 
size in his vessel. He gave battle and so crippled the Drake 
that she surrendered. Jones took her as a prize back to 
France. It was difficult for the French king to believe that 
Jones had been so successful. It was true, however, and 
Jones obtained the promise of more vessels from France 
with which to attack the British. 

Four small vessels were fitted up for Jones. His flag-ship, 
an old merchant ship made over, was called Le Bon Homme 
Richard, meaning Good Man Richard. This name was 
selected out of regard for Benjamin Franklin whose friend- 
vship Jones had won. Jones was very fond of " Poor Rich- 
ard's Almanac," a paper published by Franklin. 

After cruising for some time Jones sighted the British 
warship Serapis on the evening of September 23, 1779. 
The battle between this ship and the Bon Homme Richard 



154 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

is famous in history. The sea was cahii, the sky was clear, 
and the nioon made it nearly as hght as day. Nearer and 
nearer the vessels drifted together. Suddenly there was a 
roar of cannon. Each commander, knowing the fight 
would be to the finish, turned all guns on his enemy. With 
the first firing, two of the guns of the Bon Hormne Richard 
exploded, killing several men, and causing more confusion 
to the already excited crew. Jones was everywhere, 
encouraging his men, directing their fire, and urging all to 
stick to their guns. His presence made heroes out of all 
who saw him. 

When the firing was heaviest, the smoke was so dense 
that it hid Jones' vessel from the British commander's view. 
Thinking that perhaps Jones might surrender, he called, 
" Have you struck? " meaning, are you willing to surrender? 
In a calm, even voice Jones called back, " I have only just 
begun to fight." 

With both boats afire, and his own slowly sinking, Jones 
saw a chance to win. With his own hands he lashed the 
vessels together. His men were then sent to the rigging 
where they easily shot down the British sailors on the 
deck of the Serapis. Hand grenades were thrown on the 
deck of the Serapis, doing great damage. One grenade 
dropped through an open hatchway into some ammunition. 
Instantly a great explosion followed. Smoke and fire 
poured out of the hole blown in the deck. The battle soon 
ended, and the British commander himself hauled down 
his colors. 

As Jones saw that his ship would not float long, he ordered 
all his men to board the Serapis. The Bon Homme Richard 
soon sank with the American dead, the American flag flying 
to the last. Jones' victory was one of the great achieve- 
ments of the War for Independence. 



rOHN PAUL JONES — BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN NAVY 155 

John Paul Jones received many honors after his brilhant 
victory. He was given a vote of thanks and a gold medal 
by Congress. Even European rulers conferred honors 
upon him. He became a great American hero. 

His last years were spent in Paris where he was held in 
much respect. He was a handsome man, his face bronzed 
by the wind and sun. He had black piercing eyes and a 
very pleasant voice. His company was sought after and 
he was entertained by the king and great men of France. 
He died when only forty-five. France and America joined 
in mourning his loss. 

For a long time the little cemetery in which John Paul 
Jones was buried was neglected and it was only through 
the efforts of General Horace Porter, in 1899, that the 
grave was found. 

The remains of the " Father of our Navy," in a leaden 
coffin, were brought to America in 1906, and buried with 
great honor at Annapolis. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why do you think we had no navy at the beginning of the War for 

Independence? 
II. How was John Paul Jones fitted to do the work that he was called 

to do? 
III. Why is the American flag called the symbol of liberty and justice? 
IV. Do you think John Paul Jones was a bra^-e man? Give some 

reasons for your answer. 
V. Why do we honor the memory of John Paul Jones? 



CHAPTER XXVI 



THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 

Another great leader in the struggle for freedom from 
British rule was Thomas Jefferson. He was born on a 

large estate at Charlottes- 
ville, Virginia, in 1743. 
On this estate, where his 
playground was the open 
fields, Jefferson spent the 
first fifteen years of his 
life. He enjoyed the out- 
doors. He liked riding, 
hunting, and other sports 
of the field and forest. 
He was fond of study, 
also, and spent much 
time reading. 

At the age of seven- 
teen Jefferson went to 
Williamsburg, the capi- 
tal of Virginia at that 
time, to attend William 
and Mary College. His 
college life was a happy 
and profitable one. He 
made many friends, chief among these being Patrick 
Henr}'. 

When Patrick Henry made his first great speech Jeffer- 

156 




Thomas Jefferson. 

Jefferson's statesmanship made him an im- 
portant leader during and after the War for 
Independence. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 157 

son heard him. The stand Patrick Henry took against the 
unjust Stamp Act no doubt influenced Jefferson a great deal. 

Jefferson practiced law for a while after he left college. 
When Patrick Henry made his second great speech in the 
House of Burgesses in 1775, Jefferson was also a member. 
By that time he had become convinced, like Patrick Henry, 
that " liberty or death " should be the motto of all true 
lovers of liberty. After Henry's stirring speech, Jefferson 
urged that Virginia " be immediately put into a state of 
defense." 

In 1775 Jefferson was sent to represent Virginia in the 
first Continental Congress at Philadelphia. At this time 
he was over six feet in height, with sandy hair, hazel eyes, 
and a face so pleasant that people liked him at first sight. 
His selection of such a fun-loving person as Patrick Henry 
for a friend shows that he had a happy disposition. 

Jefferson was not a good public speaker like Patrick Henry, 
but what he lacked in ability as a speaker he made up as a 
writer. He was always ready with his pen to defend the 
colonists against their enemy, George HI. He took a great 
interest in the events which ended in the battles of Lexing- 
ton, Concord, and Bunker Hill. After these conflicts he 
believed, as did most other members of the Continental 
Congress, that it was time for America to become inde- 
pendent. The Congress appointed a committee of five 
men, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, 
Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson, to draw up a 
paper setting forth the reasons for the independence of 
the colonies. 

Because of his ability as a writer, the committee selected 
Jefferson to write the Declaration. Such a paper called 
for a great deal of careful thought. For three weeks Jef- 
ferson worked on his task. When he had finished writing, 



158 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



the committee discussed and approved the great paper, 
and it was presented to the Congress for consideration. 
His work was so well done that after a very few days of 
study and discussion the Declaration of Independence was 
adopted, July 4, 1776. 

Great were the rejoicings of the people when they heard 
what Congress had done. In Philadelphia it had been 




Independence Hall, Philadelphia, as It Appears To-day. 

In this building was signed the document that declared the colonists free and independent. 



planned to announce the news by ringing the State House 
Bell. A great throng gathered outside the building and 
anxiously watched the little boy who stood by the door 
waiting for the doorkeeper's signal that the great Declara- 
tion was adopted. Finally the door opened ; the boy waited 
just to see the doorkeeper nod his head. With the cry, 
" Ring! Grandpa! ring! " he called to the old bell ringer. 
How the old bell clanged out the glad news! The Liberty 



THOMAS JEFFERSON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 159 

Bell thrilled the people. Men cheered, children shouted; 
all were excited, glad, and happy. 

A copy of the Declaration was sent to each of the colonies. 
There were many celebrations. Everywhere flags were 
waved, cannon fired, bells rung. All made merry as lib- 
erty was proclaimed " throughout all the land unto all the 
inhabitants thereof." A new nation had been born upon 
the earth. 

July 4 is the day that every American celebrates as the 
birthday of independence, freedom, and justice on American 
soil. 

Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence 
" All men are created equal." He believed this was true 
in family life as well as public. In Virginia there was a law 
which permitted the eldest son to inherit all of his parent's 
estate. Jefferson had a law passed providing that all the 
children might have a share of the property on the death 
of the parent. 

There was another Virginia law which compelled the 
people to pay taxes in support of the established church. 
Jefferson had this law repealed, so that no one was obliged 
to support any church by taxation; each person was at 
liberty to support the church of his choice, or none. 

Jefferson enjoyed the country life in Virginia. His 
home to which he went after the war stood on a high hill. 
On account of this he called it Monticello, an Italian word 
meaning " little mountain." He had not lived there long, 
however, before he was again called upon to serve his 
country. In 1784 he was sent to France to represent the 
colonists and remained there five years until Washington 
was elected president and had appointed him his Secre- 
tary of State Jefferson was vice-president for four years, 
and in 1801 was elected president of the United States. 



160 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

He was the first president to take office in the city of 
Washington, the present capital of our country. New York 
was the first capital of the United States; Philadelphia was 
the capital for a short time before 1801. 

Washington and John Adams, the second president, 
thought that the president should not mingle freely with 
the people. They were friends of the people but thought 
the president should stand a little apart from other men, 
Jefferson believed in simplicity of manners even in the 
president. He walked to the capital on the day he was to 
take the oath of office. He was dressed in his everyday 
clothes and invited some of his friends to walk with him. 
He held no formal reception as Washington did, but instead, 
on January 1 and July 4, he opened his house to all who 
wished to come. He believed in what he called, " Repub- 
lican Simplicity," which teaches that all are equal and that 
even the president should be ready to shake the hand of 
anyone. 

When Jefferson became president the western boundary 
of the United States was the Mississippi River. The land 
near the mouth of the river where New Orleans now stands, 
and all the region between the Missouri River and the Rocky 
Mountains from Canada in the North to Texas in the South, 
was owned by France and was known as Louisiana. 

The people west of the Alleghany Mountains urged the 
president to get possession of enough land at the mouth of 
the Mississippi River to secure to the United States the use 
of the river as a trade route. Jefferson sent James Monroe 
to France to bargain with Napoleon for the land where 
New Orleans stands, along wdth other lands near that city. 
Napoleon needed money badly to carry on war with Eng- 
land, and offered to sell all the Louisiana territory for 
$15,000,000. The acceptance of this offer nearly doubled 



THOMAS JEFFERSON — WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE 161 

the size of our country. No one at that time reahzed the 
great importance of this purchase. Now we look upon Jeffer- 
son's act as one of the greatest achievements in our history. 
With its mines, forests, and farms, the region which was 
included in the Louisiana territory has become a very 
important part of our country. 

In 1804 two men, Meriwether Lewis and William Clarke, 
were sent out to explore the country bought from France. 
They set out from the village of St. I^ouis and followed the 
Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains. They crossed 
the mountains and after months of traveling reached the 
Pacific Ocean. They began the return journey in 1806 
and reached home after an absence of over two years, 
bringing back with them wonderful tales of adventures. 
They also prepared descriptions and maps of the country 
through which they passed. 

Jefferson lived until 1826. He served his country well. 
As author of the Declaration of Independence he set forth 
the great principles of freedom and justice. As an officer 
in Washington's cabinet he helped to solve many of the 
problems of the young nation. As president he doubled 
the area of his country and set an example in acquiring 
territory that led to increasing the size of our country, 
until now it reaches from coast to coast and from Canada 
to Mexico. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What did Thomas Jefferson learn from Patrick Henry? 
II. Why was Jefferson selected to ^Tite the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence? 

III. What is meant by celebrating the Fourth of July? 

IV. What are some good ways of celebrating a holiday? 

V. How did Jefferson show that he was a friend of all the people? 
VI. The purchase of Louisiana was an important event in our history. 

Wliy? 
VII. The work of Lewis and Clarke was important. Why? 



PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE GROWTH 
OF NATIONALITY, 1789-18(35, 76 YEARS 

CHAPTER XXVII 
THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 

After gaining independence from the mother country 
it was necessary for the new nation to estabhsh a go\'ern- 
ment of its own. Many able men helped in the early days 
of the history of the young nation to adjust the government 
and to secure happiness and prosperity to all the people. 
You will find stories about these men and their work in the 
following chapters. 

You will also find stories of some of the pioneers who 
helped to settle the lands west of the Alleghany Mountains. 
The history of the pioneers is in many ways like the history 
of the early explorers and settlers. It is full of adventure. 
These men and women left their homes in the East and 
traveled by wagon to the far West to make new homes. 
They suffered hardships to prepare the way for many others 
who were to follow them. These hardships and adven- 
tures made men self-reliant and independent. These people 
helped to make the land of freedom as much as the early 
colonists. 

New territory was added to the country from time to time. 
Some was bought from European nations, some was acquired 
by treaty, and some was obtained only after disputes o\'er 

162 



THE GROWTH OF THE NATION 163 

it were settled by war. You will find the facts about this 
growth in the different stories. 

It was necessary, as the desire for traveling increased, to 
find better ways to transport people and goods from place 
to place. Find in the stories what inventions were made 
to do this. 

Better means of travel helped to develop the country. 
Explain as you study about the different inventors and 
inventions just what it means to " develop the country." 

Other great inventions were made that made it possible for 
people to live more comfortably without the drudgeries 
of the early settlers. 

The country grew ; new lands were settled ; better homes 
were made; larger cities sprang up. Such things did not 
bring happiness to all the people. There was a great dif- 
ference in the beliefs of those who lived in the North and 
those who lived in the South as to the question of slavery. 
It would seem that in a country where freedom had been so 
long cherished no one would have held slaves, but such 
was not the case. There w^ere many slaves in the country 
even when the colonists were fighting for their own freedom. 
Read carefully the various passages about this subject. 

Such disputes in the past have been settled by war. 
War — the w^ar of the states between themselves — came to 
the United States. This war settled forever that America 
was to be a land free for aU. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 
DANIEL BOONE AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST 

In the last few chapters we have read about some of the 
men who helped make the United States a free and inde- 
pendent nation. It is now time to learn of one of the sturdy 
pioneers who, by slow degrees, pushed our western frontier 
back from the Alleghany Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. 

As the number of settlers along the Atlantic coast 
increased, many home seekers began to look for farms far- 
ther inland. Not many years after a settlement was made, 
some man would find it " crowded " and would make up 
his mind to settle a little farther west than any one else. 
Thus every year found many men and their families travel- 
ing in covered wagons, searching for good places in which 
to make new homes. 

These pioneers helped a great deal in opening up the vast 
regions of the Mississippi Valley. The men who first settle 
in a new country live mostly from the land. The best 
farming land in the world was to be found west of the 
Alleghany Mountains. Who would be the first to cross 
these mountains and prepare the way for others? Daniel 
Boone answered this question for himself by being the first 
to venture into what is now Kentucky. 

Daniel Boone was the leader of the thousands of early 
Americans who changed the rough wilderness of colonial 
times into the great farms and busy cities of our own times. 
He was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When he 
was about thirteen his father moved to North Carolina 

164 



1 



DANIEL BOONE AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST 165 



and made a home on the Yadkin River. Daniel spent 
several years there. He went to school as he had oppor- 
tunity, but not for very long. He learned to read, write, 
and cipher, but liked to hunt and tramp through the woods 
better than anything else. He was better at hunting than 
at spelling, as we 
learn from what he 
cut into the bark 
of a tree in 1760 
after he had shot 
a bear by the tree. 
Using his large 
hunting knife he 
carved so deeply 
into the bark that 
it may be read to 
this day: " D Boon 
cilled a Bar on this 
tree year 1760." 

West of the Al- 
leghany Mountains 
was "The Dark 
and Bloody 
Ground," as the 
Indians called it. 
It belonged to no 
particular tribe but was well-known as a hunting ground, 
and served as the battlefield where the northern and southern 
tribes settled many of their disputes. 

Thinking he would hke to explore the great hunting 
grounds in the West, Boone set out on May 1, 1769, with a 
few companions to visit " The Dark and Bloody Ground." 
It Was a journey such as Daniel Boone enjoyed, with plenty 















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M 


1 






'^'^^^^UMB^ y ^1 


^^^^^^^1 


B 




^ "^^ 


||^^^~- '^^M 


^HP 


' 








B 


f 


1 



Daniel Boone. 

The young nation needed sturdy men like Boone to lead 
settlers into the western lands. 



166 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

of good hunting and adventures with Indians and wild 
beasts of the forest. 

Finall}^ the travelers reached a beautiful country which 
they knew must be the land they were seeking. They built 
a rough shelter of logs and spent many pleasant days going 
about the surrounding country. All went well until Boone 
and one of his friends while hunting were surprised by some 
Indians and taken captive. There was no chance to escape 
for several days. Finally the Indians killed a large quantity 
of game and held a great feast, after which all fell sound 
asleep by the fire. Boone also pretended to sleep, but as 
soon as he saw that the Indians were not watching him, 
he awoke his friend and both of them quietly crawled out 
of the camp. Wlien far enough away they ran swiftly 
through the dark woods until they were sure they were 
safe. Wlien they reached their camp there was no trace 
of the men who had been left there, nor could they find 
any sign to show what had happened. 

After two years' absence Boone returned to North Caro- 
lina and soon prepared to take his family to Kentucky. 
He formed a party of five families, and they set out in cov- 
ered wagons filled with household goods. Men on horse- 
back drove the cattle and extra horses. All went well until 
Indians attacked the little band. Boone's son and six 
men were killed in the fight that followed. This so dis- 
couraged those who survived that they returned to the 
Yadkin River. 

Boone had a friend, Richard Henderson by name, who 
made a treaty with the Cherokee Indians in the West and 
planned to open up the whole country to the white settlers. 
Henderson sent out Boone and thirty men to cut a road 
through the woods to the Kentucky River. The road that 
Boone made was called the Wilderness road and was the 



DANIEL BOONE AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST 167 

path over which thousands of settlers gradually found theu* 
way to the Western lands. 

Boone and his men built a fort on the Kentucky River 
and called it Boonesborough. This fort was oblong in 
shape and consisted of log cabins built side by side. 
Between the cabins was a stockade made by driving 
sharpened posts into the ground. In each cabin there were 
loop holes through which the settlers could fight the Indians 
if trouble arose. 

If you could have seen Daniel Boone at that time you 
you would have seen a tall, slender man dressed in a fringed 
hunting shirt, leggings, and moccasins made of skins of wild 
animals. On his head he wore a coonskin cap so fashioned 
that the tail fell at the side of his head. He was very 
strong, and so rugged that he could easily stand the hard 
life of a backwoodsman. He had many friends because 
he was always ready when called upon for advice or for 
help in time of need. 

After building the fort Boone returned to North Carolina 
to bring his family and other settlers to Boonesborough. 
These settlers did not have an easy life. They were obliged 
to clear the land before they could plant crops. After 
the crops were raised they threshed the wheat by hand. 
Com was ground into meal by pounding it with a blunt 
stick in the hollow made by burning out the end of a short 
log. Meat that was to be kept was dried by the fireside 
until it was very hard, and was called jerked beef. It was 
necessary to make most of the clothing. The homes were 
rough cabins made of logs, with a large fire-place in one 
end. There were sometimes two rooms, more often but 
one, and sometimes an attic which was reached by a ladder. 
The furniture was home made. 

In a home like this in the state of Kentucky one of our 



168 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



greatest men, Abraham Lincoln, was born. Other great 
Americans had just such birthplaces. 

The boys in those early times were kept busy. They 
had a few months of school in the winter. In the spring 
they helped with the planting of corn and potatoes. They 
picked up stones and helped to clear away the stumps. 
In the autumn they helped with the harvest and worked 
with the men getting the winter wood ready. The girls 

were busy too, 
helping in the 
home, preparing 
food, and making 
clothing. When 
the work w^as 
done the boys 
had great sport 
hunting and trap- 
ping. You will 
learn later how 
some of these 
boys, when 
grown to man- 
hood, helped to 







A Settler's Log Cabin. 

In sucK homes lived brave men and women who cleared away will victorlcS for 
the forests and made the wilderness into productive farms. 

their country, 
as soldiers, as inventors, or as statesmen. 

In 1778 Boone and several other men were captured by 
Indians who were fighting for the British. They took 
Boone and the other men to Detroit, surrendering all but 
Boone to the English. Boone they decided to keep, and, 
because they admired his courage and daring so nmch, 
they adopted him into their tribe. This was done in a long 
ceremony during \\'hich Boone was thoroughly scrubbed 
in the river and then covered with different colored paints. 



DANIEL BOONE AND THE SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST 169 

His hair was also pulled out with the exception of one lock 
on the top of his head, which was called a scalp lock. 

Boone was treated as one of the tribe but was always 
watched so that he could not escape. Finally, however, 
he did succeed in getting away, and after traveling over 
a hundred niiles through the forest he found his way back 
to his home, where he was warmly welcomed. He warned the 
settlers of an attack which the Indians had planned to make 
on Boonesborough. The attack was made, but the settlers 
were ready, and, after a hard struggle, drove the savages away. 

After a time Kentucky became too crowded for Daniel 
Boone. He wished for more " elbow room." It was not 
long before he was on the way to Missouri which was the 
western outpost of civilization at that time. Here Boone 
lived with his sons until his death at the age of eighty-six. 
Although living in his sons' fine home, he would never sleep 
in a bed. He was a real backwoodsman who loved best 
the life of the forest, where he could hunt and trap during 
the day and sleep rolled in a blanket by a brush fire at night. 

Through the leadership of such men as Daniel Boone, 
our country has finally become settled from East to West. 
In Boone's time Kentucky was '' Out West." To-day it is 
very difficult to tell where the " West " begins and where 
the " East " ends. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why was Daniel Boone a pioneer? 
II. How did Boone's early life fit him to do the work of a pioneer? 

III. Do you think Boone liked the life he led? Why? 

IV. Would you like to have known Daniel Boone? Give reasons for 

your answer. 
V. Do you think Daniel Boone would have been a good scout? 
VI. Suppose you could have taken dinner with Daniel Boone. What 
would you have had to eat? 
VII. Why did the Indians dislike to have white settlers in Kentucky? 
VIII. What do you like most about the story of Daniel Boone? 



CHAPTER XXIX 
PROJECT: THE LIFE OF DANIEL BOONE 

By Vera M. Telfer, Warren County, N. J. 

The history of a people is nothing more than the story of the hves of 
its great men and women. 

Purpose in the Mind of the Teacher: 

(1) To teach the Ufe of Daniel Boone; a man who personified the great 

movement to explore and settle new parts of the country then 
occupied by the Indians. 

(2) To teach in such a way as to make pupils feel that they are per- 

sonally acquainted with Boone — a real backwoodsman. 

(3) Through Boone's life to teach what perseverance, power of leader- 

ship, and physical strength can do in spite of adverse circum- 
stances. 

Purpose in the Mind of the PupiL — (Stimulated by the teacher's 

assignment.) 

(1) To find out about Boone's interesting adventures in the wilderness. 

(2) To reproduce the experiences of Boone through their play. 

Assignment : 

The story of Daniel Boone is always interesting to pupils. Tell them 
just enough of his life to arouse them to read their text book and other 
available books for more information. Stud}^ with the pupils pictures 
illustrating the life of Boone, for the purpose of helping them the better 
to interpret what they read. In order that they may understand the 
reasons for Boone's hard journey into Kentucky, explain the conditions 
of the frontier settlements and, with the use of the map, locate the part 
of the country in question. 

In order to develop good judgment in selecting important parts of the 
story, and to give pupils a purpose for clear thinking in their study 
period, give them a definite assignment. 

170 



project: the life of daniel boone 171 

The following are some suggestions for study which might be given 
to pupils : 

(1) Make a list of incidents of Boone's life that we might play. 

(2) Which one would you like best to play? 

(3) Be able to describe one in detail. Look in other books for more 

information. (Teach use of index.) 

(4) Imagine that 3T)u were a boy or a girl who went with Boone into 

the wilderness and be able to tell one of your experiences to prove 
that Boone was persevering, brave, kindhearted, and strong. 

(5) How was Boone dreesed? 

(6) Imagine you are Boone. Come into school and tell some of the 

things you did and saw. 

(7) Make a list of pictures for use on the sandtable or on a poster. 

NoTK. — If you should happen to be teaching in a school near some 
woods, encourage the boys to build Boone's cabin or fort. Take your 
class or whole school out there for your dramatization. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR CORRELATED SUBJECTS 

English: 

(1) After the pupils have decided upon one incident of Boone's life 

which they would like to dramatize, write this play in class. 
Later, give it before another group of pupils or before parents. 

(2) Write a composition about one of Boone's experiences. 

(3) Let each pupil write a story of his or her own life as a pioneer boy 

or girl. 

Ha7idwork: 

(1) Make a booklet to contain the play or illustrated compositions. 

(2) Have the class make a poster representing an incident. 

(3) Make a sandtable representation, e.g.: 

(1) Boone's first experiences in the " Indians' Hunting 

Ground." 

(2) The pioneers on their trip over the " Wilderness Road." 

(3) Boone's escape from the Indians. 

(4) Boonesborough. 



172 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Geography: 

Locate Kentucky, noticing the physical features, size, etc. Note some 
of the changes which have taken place since Boone's time. 

Note. — Encourage pupils to bring pictures of pioneer life and to read 
other books besides their regular text books, — e.g., The Life of Daniel 
Boone, by Theodore Roosevelt; American Leaders and Heroes by 
Gordy; Primary History — Stories of Heroism, by Mace. 

Summary: 

(1) As a conclusion to the Study of Daniel Boone have pupils formu- 

late their reasons why Boone was a man of whom all Americans 
should be proud. 

(2) Go Ijack to the study of the pictures ^Aith the purpose of finding 

out whether these pictures correspond with what we have learned 
in this project, 



CHAPTER XXX 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON AND THE FINANCES OF THE NEW 

NATION 

At the close of the War for Independence the new nation 
had many difficult questions to answer. We may think at 
times that the most important events in the history of a 
nation are the wars that it has fought, but that is not true. 
There are many questions that have to do with trade, with 
the church, schools, industries, and finances that are far 
more important than the wars. With- the new nation the 
relation that one state bore to another and the financial 
needs of the country were very important matters. 

Men who loved their country and were wise enough to 
solve her problems were needed. Alexander Hamilton was 
such a man. He was one of the leaders of that time. 

He was born in the West Indies in 1757, but came to the 
United States at an early age. At fifteen he became a 
student at Columbia College in New York City. If you 
had visited in New York at that time you would have 
found the people taking sides on the question of the right 
of Great Britain to govern the colonies. Those who fav- 
ored the British king in his claims were called " Tories " 
or " LoyaHsts." Others who took a stand against the 
King's demands upon the colonies were called " Sons of 
Liberty." The Sons of Liberty erected liberty poles in the 
city. They held meetings around these poles and listened 
to speeches on the questions of the time. Alexander Ham- 

173 



174 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



ilton attended these meetings and became much interested 
in the cause of Hbert}^ 

Though but seventeen years old at the time of the call 
for the First Continental Congress, Hamilton took an active 

part in working for 
the cause of free- 
dom. When the war 
opened he drilled 
troops and com- 
manded a company 
in the fighting 
around New York. 
He soon attracted 
the attention of 
Washington on ac- 
count of his ability 
as a writer and 
orator. Appointed 
to Washington's 
staff, he took charge 
of Washington's cor- 
respondence, drew 
up orders, and pre- 
pared important 
papers to be issued. 
After the war 
there was a great 
debt. Paper money 
had been issued by the Continental Congress to the extent 
of thousands of dollars, but as there was no gold or silver 
back of it it became valueless. A picture of one of the 
Continental notes is shown on page 176. It took several 
hundred dollars in these bills at one time to buy a dollar's 




Alexander Hamilton. 

This nation has few statesmen equal to Alexander 

Hamilton. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON AND THE FINANCES 175 

worth of food. Thus we came to have the term, " Not 
worth a continental." 

The various states were jealous of each other and did not 
agree on many matters. Some laid claim to the same terri- 
tory in the West. New York and Virginia thought they 
owned land which was also claimed by Connecticut and 
Massachusetts. It seemed as if there might be trouble, 
but finally the different states gave up their claims in order 
that a vast territory in the West and Northwest might 
become common property of the nation. 

It was seen by Washington, Hamilton, and others that a 
strong central government must be established if the nation 
was to succeed. This was the only way to settle the ques- 
tions of the national debt and of the trade rights of the 
different states. 

A convention was therefore called in 1787, at Philadelphia, 
to adopt a Constitution for the states in order to form a 
more perfect union. It was not an easy matter to get all 
the states to agree to such a Constitution. Hamilton took 
a leading part in the debates. After months of hard work 
the Constitution was adopted by enough states to make it 
the supreme law. 

According to the Constitution a president was to be 
elected and the laws of the land made by a Congress con- 
sisting of men elected from the various states. The presi- 
dent has a Cabinet whose members act as his advisors. 
Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton, who was but 
thirty-two. Secretary of the Treasury. This position was 
the most important of all the Cabinet offices at that time 
because of the financial condition of the country. 

There was a great debt and no money with which to 
pay it. Nor was there any money that could be called 
United States mone3^ Hamilton immediately set about 



176 



FOUNDEES OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



making plans to levy taxes, establish a bank, build a mint, 
and to arrange to pay all debts that the country owed. In 
every one of these matters he was successful. It was not 
long, therefore, before the United States had a sound finan- 
cial system and was paying her debts so fast that the 
countries of Europe were surprised. This great service was 
of tremendous importance to the new nation. 




!ONESHILLlNGANDrHRE& 

' Pence Cu^ne^fit AIoj\r£:y 

OF Tjr GijsriA. 

" PASSED JULY 17 177^ : ^ — '"^ 

?! 




^^^^<r^^i 



'^^\ 






^i^*yu^J^K\HSS.% 



i fit 




A Reproduction of Some Colonial Money. 



After his services in Washington's Cabinet Hamilton 
practiced law until his death on July 11, 1804. He had 
made an enemy of Aaron Burr who was jealous of Ham- 
ilton's success. When Burr challenged him to a duel, Ham- 
ilton, although he did not believe in dueling, accepted, 
lest people might think him a coward if he refused. When 
the signal to fire was given, however, he deliberately fired 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON AND THE FINANCES 177 

in the air. Buit, firing at the same instant, killed him. 
This brave act of Hamilton's showed people the foolishness 
of dueling and ended it in this country. 

Hamilton was a true patriot, always desirous of advancing 
his country's interest and ever ready to give his services for 
her and for the good of his fellow-men. 

TfflNGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What events show that Alexander Hamilton was a patriotic 

American? 
II. Why did Washington think well of Hamilton? 

III. Hamilton thought the states should adopt the Constitution. What 

reason did he have for thinking so? 

IV. Why was it necessary to have a good financial system in the United 

States? 



CHAPTER XXXI 

ROBERT FULTON AND THE PROGRESS OF 
TRANSPORTATION 

It was very difficult to travel from place to place in the 
early days. Long journeys were made by stage coach or 
on horseback. If several people wished to move to another 
state, as Daniel Boone did, they were obliged to use wagons 
drawn by oxen or horses. The roads were very hard to 
travel, as many of them led through forests where snow 
in the winter and deep mud in the spring and fall made it 
nearly impossible to get a wagon over them. Traveling 
on the rivers was sometimes done by flat-boats. These 
boats could be floated down-stream, but, as they could not 
be moved against the current, they were as a rule broken 
up for lumber when the voyage was over. 

With such means of travel the western country opened 
up by Daniel Boone could not be settled very rapidly, 
neither could the settlers get supplies, nor send their 
products to other places. 

The boats of that time were sailing vessels. Many long 
voyages were made with such boats, as you have learned, 
but they were so slow that a voyage of any length took 
several weeks. 

The man who did most to provide a better means of 
traveling by water was Robert Fulton, who invented the 
steamboat in 1807. Fulton was born of poor parents in a 
Pennsylvania village in 1765. As a boy in school he cared 
more for "making things" than he did for studying his' lessons, 

178 



ROBERT FULTON — PROGRESS OF TRANSPORTATION 179 



He was very fond of drawing. His first invention was a 
pencil hammered out of a piece of lead. He also enjoyed 
fishing. The boat that he and a boy friend used was hard 
to row. To move it they pushed it along with poles. 
Robert, however, thought of a plan by which the boat was 
moved easily. He 
arranged paddle- 
wheels on each side 
of the boat, connect- 
ing them by a shaft 
on which there was 
a crank. One of 
the boys could then 
sit on the seat and 
move the boat by 
turning the crank. 

As a young man 
Fulton gave much 
attention to paint- 
ing pictures. His 
friends urged him 
to go to Europe to 
study art with the 
hope that he might 
some day become a 
great artist. He 
made the trip in a 
slow sailing vessel which took several weeks to make the 
journey. We wonder sometimes whether he did not spend 
some of the time during the weary days of the trip planning 
how he could improve such a poor method of traveling. 

Fulton does not seem to have thought much about art 
while abroad. In England he spent much time in building 




Robert Fulton. 
Fulton's invention made distant places near at hand. 



180 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

bridges. He also made several important inventions during 
those years. He journeyed to France and there made a 
diving boat or submarine. He attempted to interest 
Napoleon in his new boat and succeeded in completely 
destroying an old boat which was provided for a trial of his 
submarine. He also placed torpedoes under a boat in an 
English harbor to show what his diver would do. Nothing 
was left of the boat but the pieces. Neither England nor 
France, however, would adopt his submarine for use in 
their navies. They could not at that time imagine the 
possibilities of the under-water boat. In fact, it was not 
until the World War that its advantages were fully 
understood. 

While in France Fulton also tried to make a boat that 
would run by steam, but he was not very successful. It 
moved very, very slowly, for the engine that he used was 
not powerful enough for the size of the boat. 
'''^I^isappointed, Fulton and his friend, Mr. Livingston, who 
ha(d helped him in France, returned to America. Soon 
after their arrival they set about building a boat in New 
York, and in August, 1807, the Clermont, as he named it, 
was ready for a trial trip. 

While building the Clermont, Fulton was often ridiculed. 
His boat was called " Fulton's Folly." Men visited the 
shipyard because they were curious to see a boat that was 
to run by steam. They thought such a thing impossible. 

On the day that the boat was to sail, hundreds of people, 
all prepared for a good laugh, gathered on the shore to 
watch Fulton in his attempt to move a boat by steam. 
They thought Fulton was crazy. 

The signal was given, the engine slowly started, great 
clouds of smoke poured from the smoke-stack, and the 
paddle-wheels began to turn. The boat moved slowly but 



ROBERT PULTON — PROGRESS OF TRANSPORTATION 181 

surely away from the bank and headed up stream. The 
crowd forgot to laugh. They stared at the boat and ran 
along the bank to get a better view of it. Could it be pos- 
sible that " Fulton's Folly," after all, might prove to be 
worth while? Could it make the trip to Albany? The boat 
did succeed in making the trip, reaching Albany in thirty-two 
hours. With the help of the current, the return voyage was 
made in even less time. \\Tien Fulton returned to New 
York he received a great welcome. No one thought of him 
as a crazy man then. 

He had proved that it JL r'^ I- 

was possible to move / || v\ ^3^ i^mW 
vessels by steam. y l\\\f^M^^^ilW^^ 

The Clermont made '"^"fea^ .A Niri /I \\\ -^r 

New York and Albany. ="= — ^^ — 

So many other steam- The Clermont. 

boats were soon built 

that by 1830 there were over two hundred of them on the 

western rivers. 

The whole of the Mississippi River valley was thrown 
open to easy settlement as soon as the steamboat came into 
use. As settlers poured into that fertile country it was not 
long before great cities were built up along the rivers where 
trading could be carried on. 

The first steamboat crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1819. 
It took twenty-six days to journey from Georgia to Liver- 
pool. To-day great vessels a sixth of a mile long go from 
New York to Queenstown in a little over five days. A 
picture of the Clermont and one of a boat of to-day are 
shown to give you an idea of the improvement since 
" Fulton's Folly " made her first voyage. One of these 
great vessels when loaded carries many tons of goods from 



182 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



country to country. The passenger vessels carry as many 
as five thousand people. Such vessels as this made it 
possible during the last great war to move over two mil- 
lion soldiers from the United States to France within a few 
months. Truly Robert Fulton's invention brought many 
changes in trading and travel. Every steamboat is a 
monument to his genius. 




A Modern Ocean Liner, 



THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Wliy was it difficult to get from place to place in early times? 
II. Robert Fulton thought the submarine was worth while. Was he 
right? Give a good reason. 

III. Would you have laughed at Fulton's boat? 

IV. How did the steamboat help in building up our country? 
V. Have you ever seen a steamboat? Tell something about it. 



CHAPTER XXXII 

WHITNEY AND THE COTTON GIN; HOWE AND THE SEW- 
ING MACHINE: IMPORTANCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT 
OF THE COUNTRY 



In the history of our country we have many heroes. 
Some were great discoverers, others explorers, and others 




A Cotton-picking Scene. 

Vast areas in the South are devoted to this crop. 

great as statesmen or miUtary leaders. There were other 
men whose work . was so useful that they became great 
because of their service. They helped to develop their 
country by inventing machines to do the labor formerly 
done by hand. Eli Whitney was such a man. 

He was a native of Massachusetts, born in 1765, After 

183 



184 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



completing his college course he went to Georgia. He 
expected to be a tutor but, delayed by illness, he found his 
position filled when he arrived. A friend gave him a home 
and he set about studying law. He was handy with tools 
and in his spare time made many useful articles for the 
house and farm. 

Cotton cloth was very expensive at that time because the 
labor of separating the seeds from the cotton was very 
great. This work had to be done by hand. It was a very 

slow process as each seed 
was removed by pulling it 
away from the cotton in 
the boll. It took .a whole 
day to clean two pounds of 
cotton. 

When Whitney's atten- 
tion was drawn to the need 
of a machine^to clean the 
cotton, he tried to invent 
one. ,. He worked a long 
time, and finally in 1793 perfected a little machine with 
two cylinders, one of which was covered with teeth 
which pulled the cotton through a grating too fine to 
allow the seeds to pass through. The other cylinder 
was covered with a brush which removed the cotton from 
the teeth and dropped it into a box prepared to receive it. 
This little machine, called a gin, was run by turning a 
crank. It was so simple that the most ignorant slave 
could run it. 

Even Whitney's first gin could do the work of several 
men, but with improvements several hundred pounds of 
cotton were cleaned in a day by a single machine. He did 
not know it at the time, but his invention was to add great 




Cotton Gin as Made by Whitney. 



WHITNEY AND THE COTTON GIN 



185 



wealth to the world. It was also to encourage negro slavery 
which finally became the great political issue of the country. 
Thousands of acres of land in the South were immedi- 
ately given over to cotton raising. Great factories were 
built to make cotton goods, and many vessels were needed 




A Modern Cotton Gin. 



to ship cotton to England. In twenty years the amount 
of cotton sent from the United States to England increased 
from three thousand pounds to forty million pounds. It is 
easy to see why cotton was called " King." 

Until seventy-five years ago all sewing was done by hand. 
Tailors traveling about the country were hired by one 



186 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



family after another to stay for a time and make coats, 
trousers, and dresses. Very often, however, people could 
not afford to hire their sewing done. In many homes all 
the sewing for the family was done by the mother. 

Far-sighted men knew that a sewing machine would be 
very useful, but for a long time no one was able to make 

one that would sew. 
Finally, Elias Howe, 
a young man who 
worked in a Boston 
shop where spinning 
and weaving ma- 
chinery was made, 
attempted to con- 
struct a sewing ma- 
chine. He was not 
successful at first, 
but in 1846 he made 
a machine which 
worked so well that 
he had it patented. 
It took several 
years to convince 
people that his in- 
vention was more 
useful than harmful. 
The tailors thought 
they would soon be out of work if such a machine were used. 
They were mistaken, however, just as people to-day often 
are when they under-value a new invention. 

Even after his machine was patented Howe had at one 
time less than a dollar in his pocket. So many imitations 
of it were made and sold that it took many law suits to 




Elias Howe. 

His invention is in most homes. 



WHITNEY AND THE COTTON GIN 187 

establish his claims. Finally all manufacturers of sewing 
machines were forced to pay him a royalty, or a certain 
amount of money on each machine sold. By 1862 he was 
receiving as much as $4000 a day in royalties. 

This machine, like the cotton-gin, helped to build up 
great manufacturing plants which provide work for many 
people. The making of clothing has come to be one of the 
great industries of the present time. The sewing machine 
of to-day is very little like Howe's first one, but his was 
necessary before any of the fine machines of our homes and 
factories could be made. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why do you think the cotton-gin was a great invention? 
II. How did the invention of the cotton-gin make cotton cloth cheaper? 
III. The number of slaves in the South rapidlj^ increased after the inven- 
tion of the cotton-gin. Why? 
IV. What are labor saving machines? 
V. Give as many uses as you can for the sewing machine. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



ANDREW JACKSON AND NULLIFICATION 

In the story of Alexander Hamilton you learned that it 
was lifficult to get all the states to agree to the Constitu- 
tion proposed at the 
convention in Phila- 
delphia in 1787. Even 
after the Constitution 
was adopted it was 
often impossible to 
satisfy all the states 
with the same laws. 

It required at differ- 
ent times the work of 
patriotic Americans to 
preserve the Union. 
Andrew Jackson as a 
soldier in the War for 
Independence, as a 
general in the War of 
1812, and as President 
of the United States, 
always stood for what 
he believed to be the 
best interests of his 
country. He was fearless as a soldier and as a statesman. 
The strong stand that he took against the right of a state to 
disobey the laws of the United States makes him an 
important man in our history. 

188 




Andrew Jackson. 

Jackson took a strong stand for the right of the 
central government to rule the states. 



ANDREW JACKSON AND NULLIFICATION 189 

He was born in 1767 in a little log cabin near the border 
of South Carolina. His boyhood was like that of Daniel 
Boone. He went barefooted to school where he spent as 
much time in having fun as he did in attending to his 
studies. He loved to hunt and at a very early age became 
a skilled horseman. 

He became a soldier in the War for Independence at the 
age of thirteen years. While fighting for his country he 
was captured by the British. A story of that time shows 
that young Andy Jackson always took a decided stand for 
his rights. Soon after he was taken prisoner a British 
officer ordered the boy to clean his boots. Young Jack- 
son's reply was, " I am your prisoner, not your servant." 
This so angered the Englishman that he struck the boy 
with his sword, making a wound the scar of which Jackson 
carried to the end of his life. Afterwards he was sent to a 
prison camp where he nearly died of smallpox. 

At the age of twenty he went west to Nashville, Ten- 
nessee, where he began the practice of law. He was so 
successful that he soon became a judge in the courts. 

In 1812 the " Second War for Independence," as it has 
sometimes been called, was fought between the United 
States and Great Britain. This war was caused by British 
interference with the rights of Americans on the sea. After 
many American citizens had been taken from American 
vessels and impressed into service on British ships. Presi- 
dent James Madison asked for a declaration of war. 

There were many important engagements between the 
American and British forces. The Americans were more 
successful on the sea than on land, winning many notable 
victories. These victories placed our navy among the 
powerful navies of the world. The war closed with the 
battle of New Orleans. Jackson became the leading Ameri- 



190 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

can general in the southwest during this war, and to him 
should be given the credit of winning the last battle of the 
war. He was in command of the American soldiers around 
New Orleans in 1814 when the British landed a large force 
there to get possession of this key to the trade of the 
Mississippi Valley. The British army was under the com- 
mand of General Pakenham, a famous commander who had 
won many victories on the battlefields of Europe. His 
army consisted of the best soldiers that could be found. 
They were well trained, well clothed, and well fed. Jack- 
son's army was made up of a lot of undisciplined back- 
woodsmen armed with the rifles with which they hunted 
game around their homes. They had no uniforms; they 
were short of food and other supplies. The British laughed 
at such an army and thought it would be an easy matter to 
defeat it. When the day of the battle ended, however, the 
Americans were the victors and not the British. General 
Pakenham and twenty-six hundred of his brave men fell be- 
fore the terrible fire of those squirrel rifles. Only eight of 
the Americans were slain and thirteen wounded. 

It was a glorious victory, but there was no need of the 
battle. The treaty of peace between England and America 
had been signed before January 8, 1815, the day of the battle. 
With the wireless telegraphy of to-day such a thing could 
not have happened. 

From the day of his great victory at New Orleans Jack- 
.son was famous. In 1824 General Lafayette visited this 
country which he helped so much during the War for 
Independence. Among the great Americans whom he 
called upon was Jackson, at his home, '' The Hermitage," 
in Tennessee. After his visit he said, " Jackson is a great 
man; he has much before him," 

Lafayette was right. Jackson was made president in 1829 



ANDREW JACKSON AND NULLIFICATION 191 

and served his country for eight years. He showed the same 
fearlessness as a statesman that he did as a fighter. While he 
was president, Congress passed a law obliging the countries 
outside the United States which shipped goods to this 
country to pay a tariff or tax on all goods sent here. This 
tax was imposed in order that the manufacturers of this 
country might be protected in making goods which could 
be sold at a reasonable profit. Our industries were small 
then and needed help. Foreign goods, because of lower 
wages and larger factories abroad, could have been sold 
at a lower price here than those manufactured in our own 
factories, had it not been for this tariff. 

South Carolina did not like the tariff law because she had 
no manufacturing places. The main products of that state 
were cotton, tobacco, rice, and other raw material. She 
wanted foreign goods if she could buy them for less than 
those manufactured in other states. Her representa- 
tives in Congress argued that South Carolina could nullify 
or disregard the tariff law^ if she so desired, and, if neces- 
sary, withdraw from the Union. This aroused Jackson's 
anger. He exclaimed, " The Union; it must, it shall be 
preserved." He sent word to the people of South Carolina, 
warning them that if they should attempt to disobey the 
law made by the national Congress he would send armed 
forces to the state to compel obedience. The South Caro- 
linians saw that the president meant what he said and 
agreed to obey the law. Thus General Jackson placed 
himself in the group of famous men who helped to save the 
Union of States. To the fearlessness of such men as Jack- 
son w^e, who love that Union, owe a great debt. 

From the close of his services as president in 1837 until 
his death at the age of seventy-eight, Jackson lived at his 
home in Tennessee. He was a power in the affairs of the 



192 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

country. His fearlessness made him disliked by many, 
his bad temper often made trouble for him, but his patri- 
otism won for him the respect of his countrymen. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Wliat does the story of Andrew Jackson's early life show about his 

character? 
II. In what wa3^s was he successful before he became president? 

III. What did Jackson mean by sajang — " The Union shall be pre- 

served." 

IV. Why could South CaroHna not nulhfy the tariff law? 
V. What do you admire in Jackson's character? 



CHAPTER XXXIV 

PETER COOPER AND THE RAILROAD: PROGRESS OF 
TRANSPORTATION 

While Robert Fulton was seeking a way to improve the 
means of travel on the water, another inventor in England 




A Stage Coach. 
A long journey in one of the coaches was very unpleasant. 



was working out a plan by which an engine could be used to 
pull cars on a track laid on land. We have so many rail- 
ways at present that it is difficult for us to think of the time 
when there were none. It was in 1825 that George Stephen- 
son operated the first railway in England. This railroad was 
only eight miles long. Others were soon built in England 

J93 



194 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

but not many people of that time thought they would 
amount to much. The crowd laughed at Stephenson as 
the crowd laughed at Fulton. They thought eight miles 
an hour, the speed of the " Flying Stage-coaches," was 
very fast to travel, in fact " as great as should be ventured 
on in safety." 

The first railway built in America was called a tramway. 
It was four miles long and was built at Quincy, Massa- 
chusetts. The rails were of wood and the coaches were 
drawn by horses. The granite used in making the Bunker 
Hill Monument was drawn over this tramway. 



The First Railroad Train. 

In 1830 the first railroad for steam cars in the United 
States was built between Baltimore, Maryland, and Elli- 
cotts Mills, a distance of twelve miles. Before long many 
railroads were built in different parts of the country. But 
at first people here, as in England, made fun of the loco- 
motive. Some thought it would not stay on the track; 
some said it would not be able to go over hills, others feared 
it because of the noise; and some were afraid there would 
be no more use for horses, and that hay and grain would 
be of no value. All these people soon found they were 
mistaken. 

As the railroads were built from the East to the new lands 
of the Mississippi Valley, more and more settlers flocked 



PETER COOPER AND THE RAILROAD 



195 



to that country. Cities grew up along the raih'oads as 
cities had grown by the riversides where the steamboats 
landed. In 1869 a railroad from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific coast was completed. There are several such 
roads now, upon any one of which a person may journey 
the three thousand miles and more between New York and 
San Francisco in less than five days, or in about the time 
that it took people in the days of Samuel Adams to go from 
Boston to New 
York City. 

Among the men 
who did much to 
build railroads in 
the United States 
was Peter Cooper 
of New York City. 
As a boy he had 
seen people travel- 
ing in stage coach- 
es. When he be- 
came a man and 
heard about the 
railroads in Eng- 
land, he was one 
of the few who 
understood what an improvement the railroad train 
would be over the stage coach. When a company 
started to build what was called the Baltimore and' 
Ohio Railroad he was very much interested. As the 
English locomotives were not successful in America, 
he built the first successful American-made locomotive. 
It was a strange machine, compared with the great loco- 
motives of to-day, and was called the " Tom Thumb." 




Peter Cooper's "Tom Thumb." 



196 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



He invested money freely to help build railroads in various 
parts of the United States. 

The railroad has done much to bind our country together. 
It is easy for any part of the country to carry on trade with 
any other part. People interested in business may go from 
place to place quickly. Pleasure trips can be made to any 
part of the United States. As the trains carry letters and 




A Very Large and Powerful Locomotive of To-day. 

papers swiftly from coast to coast, no one need give thought 
to distance. 



THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

L Why do we need railroads? 
IL Why did the people of a hundred years ago think eight miles an 

hour was fast enough for a train to go? 
III. How did the railroads help to settle the Mississippi Valley? 
IV. What are some of the most important railroads of to-day? 
V. What are the most important uses of the railroads to-day? 



CHAPTER XXXV 

HENRY CLAY AND DANIEL WEBSTER AND THE GROWTH 
OF NATIONALITY 



Many of the men who have had most to do with the 
settlement of great questions in our country were born of 
poor parents. The boy- 
hood of these men was so 
filled with hard work that 
they had little opportunity 
to go to school. They 
earned their way, and 
reached success by taking 
advantage of every oppor- 
tunity that came to them. 

Such a man was Henry 
Clay, born in Virginia in 
1777. As he was one of a 
large family he was obliged 
to do his share of the farm 
work. His home was in a 
part of the country where 
there were many low 
swampy places, called " the slashes." As he frequently rode 
to the mill seated on a bag of corn thrown over the back 
of a horse, he was often called in later years " The Mill 
Boy of the Slashes." 

When he was twenty-one years old Henry Clay left 
Virginia and settled in Lexington, Kentucky, w^here he 

197 




Henry Clay. 

Clay's leadership led to framing many im- 
portant laws bearing on the question of 
slavery. 



198 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

practiced law very guccef^sfull}^ By the time he was thirty 
he had gained the respect of the people of Kentucky to 
such a degree that he was sent to the United States Senate. 

As a senator Clay was very much interested in internal 
improvements, especially road making. He had much to 
do with the making of the famous Cumberland Road which 
extends from Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac, 
over the mountains, and into the western country, nearly 
to the Mississippi. 

In 1811 Clay was elected to the House of Representa- 
tives. He was made Speaker of that body on the day he 
took his seat. As Speaker he had much power. Great 
Britain had been interfering greatly with American com- 
merce for several years, and Henry Clay did much to induce 
the United States to declare war in 1812. After the war 
was over he was one of the committee sent to the Nether- 
lands to arrange the terms of the treaty of peace between 
Great Britain and the United States. 

Many disputes arose between the northern and southern 
states over slavery during Clay's time. In the North, 
especially, people were coming to see that for one man to 
own another was wrong, and that it must not be allowed in 
a country which held that " all men are created equal." 
In the early days all the colonies had slaves, but in the 
North slavery was not profitable. There more attention 
was given every year to manufacturing. As skilled labor 
was needed for the machines in the factories, slaves were 
of little use because of their lack of education. Finally, 
all the northern states became " free states "; that is, they 
did not allow slavery within their boundaries. 

In the South much farming was carried on, and cotton, 
rice, and tobacco were produced in great quantities. As 
slaves could do the work in the fields very easily, slavery 



HENRY CLAY AND DANIEL WEBSTER 



199 



increased as farming increased. It was, therefore, harder 
for the southern states to aboHsh slavery. Many South- 
erners did not think that slavery was wrong. Therefore a 
great difference of opinion between the North and the 
South soon arose. The North had no slavery and did not 



LATELY imported I'n the 
Sloop JugufHs C*}ary rcry likely 
Negro Men, Boys and Girl$» Rum, 
Sugar and Molaffes, to be Sold very 
reafonable by John Inglis. 

Alfo Choice good Mad.tira Wine at, 
^ iS per Pipe tor ready Money. 





To be SOLD, 
Y Berjamm Fender at Dennit 

^ ' Ratchf .d's in Market-freet, near ihc Sign 
of the IntUan King, fcvcral Ncgroe Men, 
Women and Boyt, at a very reafonable Price 
for Bread, Flower, &e. 

Lately improted from Antigua 

and to be Sold by Edward Jones in 
Ilacc Norris'j ^lley. 

A PARCEL oflikely Ne. 
gro Women ficGirls from thirteen 
^i, « ^ j? y to one and twenty Years of age, and have 
all had the 5mall-Pox. 

An Advertisement of Slaves for Sale. 

Such advertisements were common before 1861. 




approve of it; the South had it, and for the most part 
approved of it. 

After the second War for Independence there were eleven 
free states and eleven slave states. Two territories, Maine 
and Missouri, sought admission to the Union as states. 
Maine would of course be a free state because it was so 



200 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

far north. The Southerners expected that Missouri would 
be a slave state to balance the number. Senator Tall- 
madge of New York, however, moved in Congress that 
Missouri also be free because he felt that no more slave 
states should be created. This alarmed the South, as 
Jefferson said, " like a fire bell in the night," for it would 
give the free states a majority, which might cause them to 
be unfair to the slave states, or even try to abolish slavery 
altogether. 

Many debates were held over the matter, but neither the 
North nor the South would yield. Henry Clay finally 
suggested a compromise or agreement which admitted 
Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. It also 
provided that no new states north of the southern boundary 
of Missouri should be slave states. This was called the 
Missouri Compromise and was agreed to in 1820. Maine 
made the twelfth free state and Missouri the twelfth slave 
state. The Compromise, which postponed the slavery 
dispute for thirty j^ears, gave Clay the name of the " Great 
Peacemaker." But during these thirty years people talked 
a great deal about slavery, and more and more people of 
the North came to feel that it should be entirely destroyed. 

Clay was active in public affairs for many years. He was 
nominated for the presidency three different times but 
failed of election each time. He served in many important 
offices, and in 1850, when another great dispute arose 
between the slave and free states over the admission of 
California, he took a leading part in the debates, using 
all his strength to preserve the Union between the states. 
The country was so much disturbed that at times it seemed 
that the Union would be dissolved. 

Finally, another compromise was passed by Congress, 
and the Union was saved for the time. By this act Cali- 



HENRY CLAY AND DANIEL WEBSTER 201 

fornia was admitted as a free state, to please the North, 
but a fugitive slave law which enabled the slave owners 
to catch runaway slaves in the free states was also passed, 
to please the South. 

Clay died in Washington in 1852. His love for his 
country and his efforts to preserve peace between the North 
and the South give him an honored place among Americans. 

Wliile Henry Clay was thus serving his country, another 
great leader, Daniel Webster by name, was just as active 
in making the United States a united nation. Like Clay 
he was a great patriot. His great services were in offices 
where he had much to do in making important laws of the 
United States. His stand against the idea of " State 
Sovereignty," or the right of the states to oppose the central 
government or disobey its laws, gave him a foremost place 
among our great men. 

Webster was born in 1782 at Salisbury, now Franklin, 
New Hampshire. He was the ninth of ten children. As 
soon as he was old enough he walked with his brothers and 
sisters to the little country school two or three miles from 
his home. Sometimes the roads were muddy and some- 
times the snow was deep, but young Webster's attendance 
was always good. No doubt, too, he had many good times 
with the other boys and girls who attended the school with 
him. 

He was always interested in his books. He learned from 
his mother and the older children as well as at school. 
Wlien only eight years of age he saved his pennies until 
he had enough to buy a cotton handkerchief upon which 
was printed the Constitution of the United States. As 
soon as he had the handkerchief, he began to learn the 
Constitution, and it was not long before he was able to 
repeat the whole of it. 



202 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Such things as this show that Daniel was an unusual boy. 
With his remarkable memory and rich musical voice he 
often delighted his friends by repeating long passages from 
the Bible w^hich he had " learned by heart." 

His father decided that Daniel should have a good educa- 
tion. At fourteen, therefore, the boy was sent to Phillipps' 
Academy. When he was nineteen he was graduated from 
Dartmouth College. After leaving college he taught and 
worked wherever he could get an opportunity, until he 
succeeded in sending his brother Ezekiel to Dartmouth. 

A few years after leaving college Webster began prac- 
ticing law in Boston. As a lawyer he was so successful 
that many wanted his services. His income was over 
twenty thousand dollars a year. This was before he was 
thirty years of age, and at a time when a dollar meant 
much more than it does to-day. 

When he w^as thirty-one he was elected to Congress and 
when forty-five he became a United States Senator. His face 
was striking in form and color, his complexion very dark, 
and his hair and eyes coal black. His head was large and 
well shaped. His voice was deep and easily heard. As 
he grew excited in debate it was said that his voice rose 
into a " violence of sound hke the roar of a tempest." It 
was only necessary to see him to know that he was a great 
man. Wherever he went people stopped to look at him. 
He was not tall, but his appearance made such an impres- 
sion that he always stood out from all others. In Liver- 
pool a longshoreman who saw him passing exclaimed, 
" There goes a King." 

In January, 1830, Senator Robert Y. Haynes of South 
Carolina made a great speech in the Senate, in which he 
set forth his views on the rights of the states. He said that 



HENRY CLAY AND DANIEL WEBSTER 



203 



one of his reasons for believing that the authority of the 
state was superior to that of the Union was the fact that 
the Constitution supported such a doctrine. His address 
was so masterly that it was feared by lovers of the Union 
that no one would be able to answer the arguments set 
forth. Daniel Webster, however, was ready the following 



' — " -"'"^ — 'i- "i- 


_. ^'J^ 


iiiri 


1" " ^-^Sl-^^^^t!! f« 1! 


^^^^^^SI^BiHl 




m fH 




•#: "i' J 1 . ■■ If 



Daniel Webster Making His Reply to Haynes. 

Webster's place in history is based upon his efforts to make a strong, united nation. 



morning to answer him. He had been studying the Consti- 
tution since he was eight years old and knew every part of it. 
No greater speech than that which he delivered that day 
has ever been heard in this country. For four hours he 
held the attention of the Senators and the great crowd 
that filled the galleries. When he had finished, all of 
Haynes' arguments had been answered. There was no 
longer any doubt in men's minds as to the right of the 



204 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

central government to control the states. Webster had 
put forward the arguments that have been used ever since, 
and that everybody now accepts, that the United States is 
a nation and not merely a collection of independent states. 
His thrilling words, " Liberty and Union, now and forever, 
one and inseparable," went ringing through the land like 
a new declaration of independence. 

Webster was often spoken of for the presidency but he 
never was selected for that great office, for the stand that 
he took on the Compromise of 1850 helped to keep him 
from the nomination two years later. He believed that 
the compromise proposed by Clay would help to keep 
peace in the country which he loved so much. He hated 
slavery, but he stood with Clay in urging the Fugitive 
Slave Law which was so distasteful to the northern people. 
"WTien the bill was passed many of his friends deserted him, 
thinking he had been false to the North. The Fugitive 
Slave Law only postponed for ten years the '' inevitable 
conflict " between the free states and the slave states. 
But we cannot doubt now that Webster did what he thought 
was best for North as well as South. His every thought 
was for his country. He wanted a " United States " and was 
willing to allow" the slave states certain privileges rather 
than have the country divided. 

Webster died in 1852. His countrymen mourned the 
departed leader very keenly. It seemed that every home 
had lost a close friend. As someone said, " Daniel Webster, 
the world without you will be lonesome." To his untiring 
patriotism we owe much. Our " Union, one and insep- 
arable " is so certain now that we do not question it, but 
Webster helped to bring us this security. 



HENRY CLAY AND DANIEL WEBSTER 205 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Henry Clay became a United States senator at thirty. Wliat does 

this show about him? 
II. Why was the Missouri Compromise passed? 

III. What good did the Missouri Compromise do? 

IV. Why was Clay called a peace maker? 

V. Webster did not believe in States rights. What does that mean? 
VI. Why was his speech of 1830 so famous? 
VII. Webster loved his country. How can you prove this? 



CHAPTER XXXVI 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR 

For many years following the War for Independence 
many important questions arose about the rights of the 
different states of the American Union. At different times, 
as you have learned, some of the states felt they were 
superior to the government at Washington. You will 
remember that when Jackson w^as president it became 
necessary to threaten force to compel South Carolina to 
obey the national laws. In order to have a " United " 
States, all states must obey the laws made at the capital 
of the country by men representing the whole people. 

The one question that caused more trouble than any 
other between the different states was slavery. For awhile 
men like Henry Clay and Daniel Webster kept peace between 
the slave states and the free states. Through their efforts 
and influence laws were passed, like the Missouri Compro- 
mise and the Compromise of 1850, which did this. As the 
people moved westward, however, new states were estab- 
lished and disputes arose about slavery in those new states. 
There came to be two groups of people with decided views 
on the question. One group, largely found in the northern 
states, thought slavery should not be permitted in any new 
state. The other group, found in the southern states, 
believed that the people of a new state should decide whether 
or not to have slavery in the state. The time came when the 
leaders in the southern states thought the United States 
^ould be divided. Some southern states withdrew from 

206 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN : THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR 207 




Abraham Lincoln. 



208 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

the Union and established a government of their own. 
This action caused the Civil War. 

The great leader of our country who sought to preserve 
the Union was Abraham Lincoln. As president, he led his 
country through the great Civil War which resulted in 
freedom for the slaves and in a " United States " in which 
all states obey the Constitution and the laws made by the 
central government as the supreme law. For the great 
wisdom shown in his public service, for his success in saving 
the Union of the states, and for the freedom of the slaves, 
Lincoln ranks with Washington as one of our country's 
greatest heroes. 
V Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, February 12, 
}^ 1809. His birthplace was a rough log cabin such as was 
described in the story of Daniel Boone. His father, Thomas 
Lincoln, was a poor, shiftless farmer. His mother, a young 
woman of fine character, did the best she could with the 
few things provided for her b}^ her husband. 

The first schooling that Abe received was at his mother's 
knee. When she could get time she taught him to read. 
Even though the boy's home was poor and his father was a 
man who cared so little for work that he hardly provided 
food for his family, he had a mother who loved him, cared 
for him at all times, and gave him the right start. 

When he was seven years old Lincoln's family moved to 
Indiana, about fifteen miles north of the Ohio River. If 

you >-ere"to move to anotKerX"'*® ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^' 
for^able home to live in. The Lii^^^^ family went to an 
unsettled country. There were no #"^®^ ^^^^P^ *^^ ^^^'^ 
built by the various settlers. There ^'^""^ '''' ^'''^^^'" '^'^^ 
which to make a house. Young Abe '^^^^"^ ^'^ ^^*^^'' ^"* 
trees and build a " camp." This was "^^^^""^ ^"* ^ ^^^^ 
enclosed on three sides and covered wi^^ P'^^'^'' ^'*"'^' '''''^ 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR 209 

leaves. Such a building furnished shelter but that was all. 
All food was cooked on an open fire in front of the building. 
Their scanty furniture, such as tables, chairs, and beds, was 
made by hand from logs cut in the nearby woods. Young 
Lincoln's food consisted of potatoes, the principal vegetable, 
bread made of corn meal, and such game as he or his father 
might kill. He had no cakes, no sweetmeats, and, if he had 
white bread, it was only for Sunday dinner. 

For many years the boy Lincoln had no clothing except 
that made from the skins of animals. For a change you 
might like to dress in deerskin coat and breeches with a 
coon skin cap. It would not be pleasant to be obliged to 
wear such clothes all the time. It is toH that Lincoln's 
deerskin trousers shrank so much when they became wet 
that they were very tight and several inches too short for 
his long legs. 

The life in the cold and snow of the first winter must have 
been hard for young Abe. His only companion during 
much of the time was his mother. It is difficult to realize 
how he suffered when this mother, who meant so much to 
him, was taken away by death the year after they came 
to Indiana. Her parting words to him were, " I know that 
you will always be good and kind. Try to live as I have 
taught you, and love your Heavenly Father." Her teaching 
helped a great deal in making Abraham Lincoln the man 
whom so many love. After he became famous he said, 
"All that I am or ever hope to be I owe to my mother." 

His father married again the year following the death of 
Abe's mother. The stepmother was a thrifty, kind-hearted 
woman. She had the cabin rebuilt with a good floor, win- 
dows, and a fire-place so that the cooking could be done 
inside. 

Lincoln spent a year at school, but the school was a poor 



210 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

one. The master was ignorant, the building was unfit, 
and books were scarce. He learned far more from his 
mother and by himself than he did in school. He had few 
books but he read them so much that he knew them well. 
The books that he read most were the Bible, Aesop's Fables, 
Pilgrim's Progress, Robinson Crusoe, and Weems' Life of 
Washington. 

He read, as his stepmother said, everything he could lay 
his hands on. He not only read but he studied what he 
read. At night, when his work was done, he sat down by 
the fireplace and read, or sometimes, stretched full length 
on the floor, he wrote or did arithmetic problems on a 
wooden fire shovel with pieces of charcoal for a pencil. 
When the shovel was covered he whittled it clean and 
started in anew. 

Once he borrowed a copy of the Life of Washington 
from a friend. He took it to the attic where he slept, read 
until he was tired, and then thrust the book between two 
logs in the roof. In the morning the book was soaked and 
spoiled by rain. He took it to his friend and offered to 
pay for it in work. As his offer was accepted, he worked 
hard for three days. When the book was his he took it 
home in triumph and prized it all the more for what it had 
cost him. His life was influenced greatly by what he 
learned about the life of the " Father of his Country." 

Lincoln became a strong, rugged man. As he could do a 
man's work when he was seventeen, from time to time his 
father hired him out to the neighbors for six dollars a month, 
or about thirty cents a day. 

When Lincoln was in his twentieth year his father decided 
to move again, this time to Illinois, They had hard work 
making their way through the rough country and over 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR 211 

swollen streams. Young Lincoln drove an ox team. He 
was obliged to hunt game sometimes for food. He also 
served as cook and was, in fact, a general helper. 

When they arrived in Illinois Abraham helped clear the 
land and also helped split several hundred walnut rails 
for fences. It is said that about this time he bargained 
for his first suit of cloth trousers. He agreed to split four 
hundred rails for each yard of brown jean to be woven by 
a neighbor woman. He was so tall that it took three and 
a half yards of cloth for the trousers. 

He made several trips to New Orleans on a flatboat. 
These journeys were full of interest to the young man who 
had never been far from his farm home. At one time he 
spent two or three weeks in New Orleans, and while there 
saw slaves sold at a public auction. To see men, women, 
and girls placed on a block and sold like cattle to the highest 
bidder filled him with indignation. He little thought 
then that he would be the one to stop the traffic which he 
hated so much. 

When he was twenty-one years of age and his own master, 
Lincoln became a clerk in a store in New Salem, Illinois. 
His fair dealings with customers gained him the title of 
" Honest Abe." One day he overcharged a woman six 
cents by mistake. When he discovered the error he walked 
six miles to return the money. 

For a time he had a store of his own in New Salem but 
it was not a success. He served as postmaster after he left 
the store. There was so little mail that he carried it in his 
hat until he saw the persons who were to get it. During 
his spare time he studied grammar and law and did some 
surveying. When the Indians under the chief, '' Black 
Hawk," declared war on the settlers, Lincoln was sent as 



212 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

captain with a compaii}^ of men to fight the Indians, but he 
never had an opportunity. He reported later that the only 
battles he fought were with the mosquitoes. 

In 1834, when he was twenty-five years of age, he was 
elected to the state legislature. In order to reach the state 
capital he walked many miles. 

Two years later Lincoln became a lawyer. He had been 
studying law for four years during his spare time. In 
1837 he began to practice law in Springfield, the capital of 
Illinois. While practicing law he rode from town to town, 
following the judges who went from county to county to 
try cases. This was called " riding the circuit." 

Lincoln was looked upon as a kind, good-hearted, honest 
man, always ready to help the poor, or anyone he thought 
was in trouble. While riding with other men one day he 
was missed. When they turned back for him they saw 
him putting two small birds back into the nest from which 
they had been blown by the wind. 

Lincoln spent one term in Congress, where he heard many 
discussions on the question of slavery. After returning to 
Illinois from Congress he made several fine speeches. He 
was so well thought of by 1858 that he was nominated for 
the United States Senate against Stephen A. Douglas, a 
noted speaker called the " Little Giant " because of his 
small size and his great ability as a speaker. 

Lincoln and Douglas had several debates over the slave 
question. People came for miles to hear them talk about 
this important question of the day. Lincoln made some 
remarkable speeches, but Douglas was elected. There was 
something better in store for Lincoln, however, for, in 1860, 
because of his stand on the slave question and the many 
strong speeches he had made about that subject, he was 
nominated and elected President of the United States. 




■^ IvlA^P OK- 

V UNITJED STATES 

SHOWING EXTENT OF THE 

SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY 

1861. Kcj^'e^'-' 

1 

95 Wp<t frran 90 Oroenwich 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR 213 

Even after this many people doubted Abraham Lincoln's 
ability to settle the many troublesome questions of the day. 
They thought of him as the " rail splitter " of Illinois. 
Some of them spoke of him as " Honest Old Abe Lincoln." 
They were yet to learn how great a man had been chosen 
to lead the nation through the four years of terrible war 
that began in April, 186L 

Soon after Lincoln was elected president, seven of the 
southern states withdrew, or seceded, from the Union and 
set up a government of their own. This was done before 
Lincoln took the oath of office as president on March 4, 
1861. The people of these states put the question of 
slavery above that of union. In Lincoln's mind the Union 
was far more important than anything else. He didn't 
like slavery but he had other plans to settle it than by 
breaking up the Union. 

Soon after he became president the war was begun by 
the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor. South 
Carolina. The fort was taken and a Civil War begun which 
continued for four years and cost thousands of lives and 
many millions of dollars. 

The slaves in the South were not allowed to fight, but 
they were obliged to do many kinds of work that helped 
the southern cause. They helped to do the farm work on 
the plantations and did a good deal of w^ork in building forts, 
so that more of the white men were free to fight. For two 
years Lincoln declared he had no right to free the slaves. 
But when he saw how they were helping in the war against 
the government by doing so much work that white men 
would otherwise be obliged to do, he declared that it was a 
military necessity to free them. 

In September of 1862 word was sent to the southern 
leaders that unless they stopped fighting by New Year's 



214 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



Day, 18G3, all slaves in the states separated from the Union 
would be declared free. As the fighting did not stop, Presi- 
dent Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on 
January first. This proclamation emancipated, or set free, 
four million slaves in the South. Years before, in New 
Orleans, Lincoln had said about slavery, " If I ever get a 




A Fuuiuua Statue of Lincoln in Newark, N. J. 

chance to strike that thing, I will strike it hard." He made 
his word good, and became known as the " Great Emanci- 
pator." This was a second great event in the advance of 
freedom in the United States. 

The South would not yield until all the places along the 
Mississippi River had been taken from them. This was 
gradually done. William T. Sherman, a northern general, 
marched across Georgia to the sea, cutting the Confederacy 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR 215 

into two parts. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the great 
southern leader Robert E. Lee who had bravely defended 
Richmond for many months. General Lee surrendered 
at Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865. This closed 
the war. 

The joy of the nation over the victory which gave us a 
imited country was, in less than a week, turned to sorrow 
by the death of the great leader. While attending a theatre 
in Washington on the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln 
was shot by a half-crazed actor. 

The news of Lincoln's death was a sad blow to the whole 
world. The people of Europe joined his countrymen in 
mourning for the great man whose courage and wisdom 
had made him the " Saviour of His Country." 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What is meant by " United States " ? 
11. Why did some of the States wish to destroy the Union? 
III. Would you Kke to have lived in a home like Abraham Lincoln's 

first home? Why? 
I\^ What were some of the things to be thought well of in the life of 

Abraham Lincoln as a boy and as a young man? 
y. What does the story of the small birds teach us about Lincoln? 
VI. Why was Lincoln selected as President? 
VII. The " Emancipation of the Slaves " helped to make Lincoln 

famous. Why do you think this was so? 
VIII. Do you think you would have liked Lincoln if you had been hving 
in his time? 
IX. Why was Lincoln called the " Saviour of His Country " ? 



CHAPTER XXXVII 

ULYSSES S. GRANT, THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL OF THE 

CIVIL WAR 

It took four years of hard fighting to end the Civil War. 
Many thousand brave men from the North and the South 
gave up their hves in the attempt to settle the question of 
the Union of the states. Among the great leaders on the 
field of battle, General Ulysses S. Grant takes first place. 
His courage and wisdom brought victory to the forces of 
the North. 

General Grant was born in Ohio in 1822. His birthplace 
was a country village; his father was a farmer and leather 
manufacturer; his early life was that of the average country 
boy. He worked in the field helping to plant and to care 
for the crops in the summer. In the winter he helped cut 
wood and attended the school near his home, when it was 
in session. Not all of his hours were filled with hard work. 
Country boys of his day had good times fishing and hunting. 
Young Grant liked horses and became a skilled rider when 
very young. 

At the age of seventeen he was sent by his father to West 
Point. He was graduated at the age of twenty-one, ranking 
twenty-first in a class of thirty-nine. 

A short time after his graduation the United States had 
trouble with Mexico over the boundary between Texas and 
Mexico. War was declared. Grant served through the 
conflict, which lasted about a year and a half, and came out 
of the war with the rank of captain. 

216 



ULYSSES S. GRANT, THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 217 



After peace was declared between Mexico and the United 
States, Grant resigned from the army to take up farming. 
But he was not very successful. As he could not make 
enough to take care of his family, he gave up the farm and 
tried the real estate business. There, too, he met with poor 
success, and he fin- 
ally took a position 
as clerk in his 
father's leather 
store at Galena, 
Illinois, 

At the time the 
Civil War opened. 
Grant, who was 
thirty-nine years 
old, was known 
only to his near 
neighbors and a 
few friends he had 
made in the army. 
When the war 
closed, however, he 
was known and ad- 
mired throughout 
the world. 

Soon after his 
appointment in the 

Northern army he captured two important forts — Fort 
Donelson and Fort Henry. At Corinth, Mississippi, he 
at first met with defeat, but the next day changed defeat 
to victory. By the close of 1862 the only important 
places on the Mississippi River still in the hands of 
the South were Port Hudson and Vicksburg. On 




Ulysses S. Grant — Victorious Leader of the 
Northern Annies, 



218 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

July 4, 1863, after a long siege, Grant took Vicksburg, 
and Port Hudson fell four days afterwards. Thus the 
Mississippi was opened to northern traffic. 

The great battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, which 
resulted in the defeat of General Robert E. Lee, the Southern 
leader, by General Meade, took place July 1, 2, and 3. 
The Southern army then retreated to Virginia. 

A man who could defeat the army under General Lee 
around Richmond was now needed. Wlio could be expected 
to do this after many able generals had failed during three 
years of fighting? Abraham Lincoln chose General Grant, 
who had proved hhnself in the struggle along the Mississippi, 
general-in-chief of all the Northern armies. In May, 1864, 
the final campaign of the war was opened. 

Grant believed in sticking to a task after he had once 
started it. He sent Lincoln the following message, " I 
propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all sunmier," 
and he kept his word. Such perseverance and great 
ability as a soldier led the country to trust him and after- 
wards honor him b}^ electing him President. 

General Philip Sheridan, commander of cavalry, was 
appointed by Grant to do as much harm as possible to 
Lee's army. His success in the Shenandoah Valley and 
other places, where he captured supplies and destroyed 
railroads and other property, helped very much to bring 
about the final victory. 

General Sherman's army in the South also did great 
damage to the Southern cause. He marched across 
Georgia with an army that stretched across the country 
to the width of sixty miles. He destroyed property 
that might be useful to the South in carrying on the 
war. He took Atlanta and, on December 22, he captured 
Savannah. Fis message to President Lincoln was, " I 



ULYSSES S. GRANT, THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 219 

beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of 
Savannah." 

There was severe fighting between Grant's and Lee's 
armies until the spring of 1865. General Grant took 
Richmond on April 2, and a few days afterwards met 




Robert E. Lee, Leader of the Southern Armies during the War, 1861-1865. 

General Lee at Appomattox Court House to arrange terms 
of surrender. 

The meeting between the two generals was remarkable. 
General Lee was a tall, noble-looking man. He was loved 
by his men for his manly character, and admired by his 
enemies for his ability as an officer. General Grant allowed 
Lee and his officers to retain their swords. He gave the 



220 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



men their horses with which to do their '^ spring plowing." 
His men divided their food with the fallen foe. No salute 
was fired by the victors, nor were the Southern soldiers 
obliged to stack their arms before their conquerors, as was 
the custom of war. General Grant was great as victor as 

well as leader of an 
army in battle. 

After the war General 
Grant served two terms 
as president. During 
this time he worked to 
reconstruct the Union. 
He said when he was 
nominated for the presi- 
dency, " Let us have 
peace," and this was 
the keynote of his eight 
years of office. Before 
the end of his adminis- 
tration all the Southern 
states had returned to 
the Union and had repre- 
sentatives in Congress 
at Washington. 

After his second term 
closed Grant made a 
journey around the world, honored by the rulers of many 
nations, and greeted by the people as a hero. Upon his 
return to the United States he went into business but, through 
a faithless friend, lost all his property. An old man with 
many debts, he proved himself still a good fighter. He went 
about the task of \\Titing his " Memoirs," the sale of which 
paid his debts and supported his family. In these two large 




Grant's Tomb, Riverside Drive, New York 
City. 



ULYSSES S. GRANT, THE VICTORIOUS GENERAL 221 

volumes you may learn all about the great part that he 
took in the Civil War. 

On July 23, 1885, at Mount McGregor, New York, 
General Grant breathed his last. His countrymen have 
honored him in many ways, the greatest memorial being 
his tomb on Riverside Drive, New York City. A picture 
of this monument is shown on page 220. If you were to 
visit it you would find written over the entrance, " Let Us 
Have Peace." 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What training did Grant have before the CiviF War that was useful 

to him in that war? 
II. Wliy do you think he was a good commander? 

III. What was meant by reconstructing the Union? 

IV. Why do j^ou think this famous sajdng, " Let us have peace," is 

spoken of in history? 
V. Tell one way m which General Grant has been honored by his 
countrymen? 



PERIOD OF MATERIAL AND MORAL PROGRESS 
AND THE EXPANSION OF THE NATION INTO 
A WORLD POWER, 1865— THE PRESENT TIME 

CHAPTER XXXVIII 
THE HISTORY OF OUR TIMES 

Nearly sixty years have passed since the Civil War and 
many changes have taken place that have helped to make 
the United States a great nation. The nation that had 
its birth in the War for Independence has come to be a 
world power. You are now to learn of a few of the leaders 
and of some of the changes that helped to give the nation 
its place among the great nations of the W'Orld. 

Great progress has been made in manufacturing and 
farming because of the many useful inventions that make 
it possible to turn raw materials into finished products, 
and to cultivate the soil, producing great crops of grain and 
vegetables. 

More wonderful than other inventions, however, are those 
by which man has been enabled to ride from place to place 
through the air, indeed, to travel from America to Europe 
in a few hours. The new aids in sending messages have 
brought distant places very close together. Make compari- 
sons between the present and the past, as w^as suggested 
to you in the first chapter of the book. Picture the toiling 
ox-team drawing the heavy wagon over muddy roads in 
Boone's time and the great railway trains of to-day. Other 

222 



THE HISTORY OF OUR TIMES 223 

comparisons are suggested in the stones. Some pictures 
are given which suggest such comparisons. Attempt to 
find other pictures that do the same thing. 

The nation has acquired much territory since the Civil 
War, either by treaty or by purchase. Advanced histories 
will tell you more about the reasons for acquiring these 
lands. Use the maps to locate the various acquisitions and 
learn what you can about them from your geographies. 

The stories are told of some of the famous Americans who 
helped to make om^ country great. As in the case of the 
leaders of earlier times, these men and women served their 
country by doing that which would bring happiness and 
prosperity to the great mass of people. 

Edison's inventions have helped us to replace many of the 
old methods of living and working with better ways of doing 
the daily tasks that are found in all homes and factories and 
on farms. 

Under the leadership of Frances E. Willard and other 
women, an important work has been done in securing a 
constitutional amendment doing away with the manufac- 
ture and sale of intoxicating liquors. Clara Barton and 
other famous women have furnished examples of unselfish 
service, not only for the people of this country but for the 
world. Explain what '' unselfish service " means. Through 
the untiring efforts of Anna Howard Shaw and other free- 
dom-loving women and men, the right to vote was secured 
for all women citizens over twenty-one years of age. Thus 
we see that women have come to take an important part in 
inspiring and in directing the affairs of the nation. 

Theodore Roosevelt, a many-sided American, left to the 
world a record of so many good deeds, well done, that the 
nation looks upon him as one of its truly great. As you 
study about Roosevelt, however, bear in mind the great 



224 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

achievements of other leaders, from the time of Columbus 
to the present, that made ready a great nation to which 
Roosevelt might appeal for right action. 

You have read stories about patriotism. After completing 
the story about Roosevelt look up in your dictionary the 
work " Americanism " and attempt to use his life to explain 
this term. 

If you have studied your history with care you have 
seen how the work of any leader depends upon the prepara- 
tions made by those who have gone before him. All of 
them should receive credit for the making of the nation. 

The last chapter gives some information about Woodrow 
Wilson and the World War and suggests the principal 
things of to-day that may be written into the chapters of our 
history of the future. This great war was a war for freedom 
just as much as the Civil War. It saved liberty from 
destruction in the great free countries of Europe and gave 
freedom to other countries which did not possess it. 

The part that our country played in the World War shows 
how a liberty-loving people look upon those who would 
enslave others. Explain this and then review some of the 
most important facts about liberty in the various stories 
of this book. 



CHAPTER XXXIX 



Mccormick and hoe and their improvements in 

machinery 

Among the many machines used by the farmer the grain 
harvester, or binder, as it is sometimes called, is perhaps the 
most important because the 
production of wheat, oats, 
corn and other grains has 
first place on the farm. 

In early times grain, such 
as wheat and oats, was cut 
with the scythe. Men first 
used small hand rakes to 
gather it into bundles and 
then put a straw band 
around the bundles. This 
took a great deal of time 
and was very hard work. 
No doubt many of the men 
who were obliged to do such 
work hoped for an easier 
way to harvest grain. 

The invention of a ma- 
chine that would cut wheat 
and form it into bundles 

with a cord tied tightly around each bundle meant a 
great deal to the whole world. The man who made 
this gneat invention did an important work for his country. 

225 




Cyrus McCormick. 

His invention helped to develop the West 
into farms. 



226 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



This inventor, an American, was a young man named 
Cyrus McCormick who spent several years working on his 
plans. In 1835 he succeeded in making a machine that 
would do the labor of six men in a wheat field. The machine 
cut the wheat and made bundles of the grain. 




A Model of the First Reaper. 



At first he manufactured his reapers in Virginia but the 
West was the " wheat field " of the United States. Rather 
than pay freight charges to send his machines to the western 
farms, he moved to Cincinnati and from there to Chicago. 
The great harvester manufacturing plant in that city now 
covers many acres of land and turns out several hiuidred 
machines a day. 

One of the greatest industries of our country is agricul- 



Mccormick and hoe and their improvements 227 

tiire. People need food and, as the number of people 
increases, the quantity of food must increase. To secure 
this increase in quantity, either more people must give 
their time to farming or better methods of farming must 
be used. 

As farming is only one industry among many others of 
the country, the increase in population will be called to 
occupations of the sea, to factories, and to stores as well 




A Modern Plow. 

Used on the great farms in the West. 



as to the country. It is necessary, then, to raise greater 
crops by improved methods of producing them. 

The harvester has been improved from time to time. The 
great machines shown on these pages are now used for har- 
vesting on the large farms of some of our w^estern states. 
With these machines the grain is cut and threshed and 
placed in sacks ready for delivery to the mills where flour 
is manufactured. Such machines made it possible for the 



228 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



United States to produce the large amount of food, needed 
during the last great war. Our country supplied not only 
our own needs but vast quantities of food to be sent to 
our friends in Europe. 




A Modern Harvesting Machine. 



The farm to-day is far more attractive than in colonial 
times. The colonial farmer had an ox team and a few 
simple tools to cultivate his fields. His life was lonesome 
because he had very few neighbors. He did not have 
many, if any, books, and he seldom saw a newspaper. He 
might have a Poor Richard's Almanac, or some other 
almanac, which cost a few cents. He could read in his 



Mccormick and hoe and their improvements 229 

almanac some of the important dates of the year and the 
time tables of the stage coaches between the important 
cities. 

To-day, if you should visit an up-to-date farm, you would 
find the farmer's home equipped wdth a telephone; he gets 
his mail every day through the rural mail delivery; he has 
an automobile instead of horses; he may have a tractor to 
pull his plows and harvesters. He uses a machine to milk 
the cow^s, and in many cases the farmer has his owai ice 
house with a supply of ice to cool the milk as w^ell as to 
keep food fresh for his table. The great farms of the 
West were made possible through McCormick's invention. 
As soon as it was possible for a few men to harvest several 
acres of grain in two or three days, it became very profit- 
able to develop the land of the western prairies. From the 
time of McCormick's invention there was a steady west- 
ward movement of the population of the United States. 

As crude as the scythe is compared with the up-to-date 
harvester so is the printing press of Franklin's time in com- 
parison with the great modern printing presses. Franklin 
could print a few papers on one side in an hour. His ma- 
chine was constructed mostly of wood and was operated by 
hand. The type was set and held in place by w^ooden 
wedges. The form was inked by hand, a sheet of paper was 
spread over it, and then a flat wooden plate or platen was 
screw^ed dow^n on the paper to press it against the type 
to make " an impression." For each impression it was 
necessary to screw the platen down on the paper. This 
took a long time and was tiresome work. 

The modern press was invented in 1847 by Richard 
M. Hoe of New York. It has been improved so much 
that the great machines of to-day, consisting of over 
50,000 pieces of metal, can print new^spapers and fold them 



230 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



ready for deli\'ery at the rate of 300,000 eight-page papers 
an hour. The great rolls of pa])er used, and the rollers 
upon \\hich the type is placed in the form of circular cast- 
ings, are shown in the picture of the modern printing press. 
In this press the paper passes between the rollers and is 




A Great Newspaper Press. 

printed on both sides at the rate of 120 miles an hour. 
Think of this as compared with the slow process that 
Franklin was obliged to follow. 

The newspaper now printed on such labor-saving machines 
is much cheaper than the paper of former years. Everyone 
may have the new^s of the day. It is possible for the man 



Mccormick and hoe and their improvements 231 

in the city to inform himself about what is going on in the 
world while riding to his office. The farmer may have a 
daily paper left at his door a few hours after it is printed. 
There is no greater agency in the country for making 
good Americans than the loyal American newspapers, of 
which there are many. Those which intentionally spread 
un-American ideas should be avoided. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What do you mean by industries? 

II. Why are machines necessary in industries? 

III. Why is it necessary to have machines on farms? 

IV. Wliich farm machine is the most important according to this 

chapter? Whj^? 
V. Improved machinery makes big farms possible. Explain. 
VI. What are the two most important uses of the newspaper? 
VII. Wliy is it necessary to print so many newspapers an hour? 
VIII. What is meant by a loyal American newspaper? 
IX. Do you read the newspaper? WTiy? 



CHAPTER XL 
MORSE AND THE TELEGRAPH: THE TELEPHONE 

In early days it was not easy to send messages either 
a short or a long distance. The Indians used signal fires 
to send messages from tribe to tribe. Our early pioneers 
in the West received word from their friends only when 
travelers from the East arrived in a village. Few business 
messages were sent because it took too long. 

In 1832 Samuel F. B. Morse, an artist by profession, but 
a scientist by education, became interested in sending 
messages by means of electricity. He had been educated 
in Yale University and had received instruction from the 
best scientists of the time, but his interest in art had led 
him, after this education, to visit Europe, where he spent 
four years studying art. 

The same year Morse was made a professor in New York 
University. He conceived his great idea, fitted up a labora- 
tory in a room in the universit}^, and there spent years 
laboring on his invention. He gave up everything in order 
to work on the electric telegraph. At times he was so poor 
that he could hardly provide himself and family with food. 
He was obliged to make his own working models, persevering 
in his work against the greatest discouragements. Finally 
the rude electric telegraph in his university room actually 
worked, and in 1837 he succeeded in interesting Alfred Vail, 
a student at the university, in his experiment. As Vail's 
father had a foundry he persuaded his father to furnish 
some necessary supplies for Morse's proposed telegraph line. 

232 



MORSE AND THE TELEPHONE: THE TELEGRAPH 233 

In 1837 the instrument was patented and a short Hne 
built to try out the new invention. The result was satis- 
factory, but it was necessary to interest the United States 
government before a long line could be built, as a large sum 
of money would be needed. No one wanted to risk much 
on a new scheme like the telegraph. Finally, in 1843, 
the amount of $30,000 was appropriated by Congress 
to build a telegraph line from Washington to Balti- 
more. 

The first telegraph message was sent on May 24, 1844. 
It was a question, " What hath God wrought? " The 
doubters who had called Mr. Morse " crazy-brained " and 
ready for the lunatic asylum when he was patiently working 
to perfect his invention were at last ready to believe that 
his great idea was, after all, a practical one. It seems 
strange that the inventors of the really great things have 
always had to suffer from the ridicule of the people. 

The telegraph was a success from the first. It has had 
tremendous influence since the Civil War in the progress of 
the nation. The different parts of the country are brought 
very close together. Business messages are now sent from 
coast to coast in a fraction of a minute. 

In 1866, after several attempts and failures, Cyrus W. 
Field succeeded in laying a cable across the Atlantic Ocean, 
thus making it possible to send telegraph messages to 
Europe. To-day the world is covered with a network of 
cables and telegraph lines. 

Morse's invention has had many improvements, until 
to-day it is possible, by an invention of Marconi, an Italian 
genius, to send messages great distances by means of wire- 
less telegraph instruments. Wireless telegraphy has made 
it possible for ships on the sea to send messages wherever 
they desire. During both peace and war this has been the 



234 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IH AMERICA 



means of saving hundreds of lives. Who can measure what 
Morse and his followers have done for mankind? 

After it became known that messages could be sent over 
an electric wire, men began to search for a plan by which 
the human voice might also be sent over a wire. 



i 

',■■1 


'^ 

W^' 


1 


^^^%^% 


gjMta 


'"^^ 


i'i*" j» « 






uawasm 




1^ 


;_— ^V 





Alexander Graham Bell, Sending the First Telephone Message from New 

York to Chicago. 



In 1876, at the Centennial Exhibition, Alexander Graham 
Bell exhibited his newly invented telephone. This useful 
invention makes it possible to talk with a friend, even across 
the continent. The telephone has become so popular that 
to-day there are over a million miles of telephone wires 



MORSE AND THE TELEPHONE! THE TELEGRAPH 235 

in the United States. People in the country as well as in 
the city are now able to send messages everywhere by 
telephone. 

Wireless telephone instruments have been used during 
the last few years, especially on ships. It will probablj^ not 
be long before we can talk to people at any distance, without 
the necessity of having our cities and countryside covered 
with telephone poles and wires by which to send the message. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why was it difficult to send messages in early days? 
II. Give some reasons for sending messages from place to place. 

III. Why do you think it took Mr. Morse so long to perfect the 

telegraph? 

IV. Find out what you can about the ocean cables. 

V. How is the wireless an improvement on Mr. Morse's telegraph? 
VI. Give as many uses of the telephone as you can. 



CHAPTER XLI 
THOMAS A. EDISON, THE GREAT INVENTOR 

Thomas A. Edison, who is still active in the work of 
thinking out new things, has made more valuable inventions 
than any other man in history. 

Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, February 18, 1847. 
His parents moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when the lad 
was seven years old. He went to school when he could 
until the age of twelve, but it is said that he learned as much 
at home where his mother, who had been a teacher, could 
answer all his questions. 

When he was twelve young Edison went to work as train- 
boy on the Grand Trunk Railroad between Port Huron and 
Detroit. The account of his life on the road is interesting. 
He learned to make the most of important news in selling 
papers. Once, when he saw that the " Detroit Free Press," 
which he sold, contained an account of a great battle, he 
telegraphed the news to all stations on the line and then 
bought a thousand copies of the paper for his trip. As 
he found anxious crowds awaiting his papers at each 
station, by the time he reached Port Huron he had sold 
every paper at prices high enough to give him a good profit. 
He later printed a newspaper on the train. This newspaper 
attracted a good deal of attention, as it was often spoken 
of as the only newspaper printed on a train. 

He also became interested in experimenting with chemi- 
cals, setting up a little laboratory on the train. All went 
well with the youthful chemist until he tipped over a bottle 

236 



THOMAS A. EDISON, THE GREAT INVENTOR 237 

of acid and set the car on fire. This accident so angered 
the conductor that he not only threw all of the boy's 
apparatus out of the car but threw the boy with it. 

While waiting for his train one day in Mt. Clemens he 
saw the station agent's small child playing on the track in 
front of an approaching freight train. At the risk of his 
own life he caught the child just in time to save it. The 
station agent was a poor man, but he wanted to repay 
Edison for his brave act. He could give him no financial 
reward, but he offered to teach him telegraphy. This pleased 
Edison as much as anything that could have been done for 
him. With these night lessons in telegraphy began Edison's 
interest in electricity which has resulted in many valuable 
inventions. 

He was soon an expert telegrapher. He did not keep a 
position long, however, because his desire to be trying 
something new always led to trouble with his employers. 
They did not feel as he did about making improvements 
on the telegraph instruments in use at that time. 

At the age of twenty-one he went to Boston. While 
working as a telegrapher in that city he spent all his spare 
time in study in the Boston Public Library. He made 
experiments and became well known as a student of 
electricity. 

His next move was to New York. Not long after his 
arrival there he was employed to look after the electrical 
machines in a large establishment. His salary was three 
hundred dollars a month. He now had money to buy 
material for experiments. While at work he observed the 
machines, and in his leisure hours he made many new 
machines to take the place of those in use. One of his 
inventions was so successful that he received the sum of 
forty thousand dollars for it. The Western Union Tele- 



238 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 




Thomas A, Edison. 



THOMAS A. EDISON, THE GREAT INVENTOR 239 

graph C'ompany and another telegraph company agreed 
to pay him a large salary if he would give them the first 
chance on whatever inventions he might make. The 
young train-boy had finally reached a place where he could 
have a large laboratory with no fear of losing it. 

His first laboratory was built at Newark, New Jersey. 
He employed a great many men to help him with the 
inventions. Here, as in his early experiments, he worked 
at all hours. When something was started and was going 
well, all hands were expected to work until it was finished. 
No one could complain, because Edison, the " boss," 
worked as many or more hours than anyone else. At one 
time he and a few of his assistants worked sixty hours before 
a piece of work was " straightened out," as he termed it. 

So many inventions were made at the laboratory in 
Newark that Edison became known as " the young man 
who keeps the path to the patent office hot with his foot- 
steps." At one time he had forty-five inventions under 
way which, when completed, brought him over four hun- 
dred thousand dollars. 

Edison does not measure his success by the number of 
dollars he received. He has always been anxious to make 
new things that will help mankind. To be busy seems to 
be more satisfactory to him than to be rich. Much of his 
income is being used to carry on new experiments. By 
the time one thing is completed he is working on another. 

In 1876 he decided to build a new laboratory at Menlo 
Park, about an hour's ride from New York City. Here he 
worked out his greatest inventions. He made so many 
wonderful new things that he became knowa as the 
" Wizard of Menlo Park." 

When Edison went to Menlo Park the chief source of 
light for stores and factories was gas. In most homes the 



240 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

kerosene oil lamp was used. In some homes the tallow 
candle was still in use. The candle had been the chief 
means of lighting homes for many years. Some people 
burned whale oil lamps instead of candles. These lamps 
were simply open dishes of whale oil in which floated a wick 
that could be lighted. 

After many experiments Edison succeeded in making 
a successful electric light. At first men did not believe it 
practical, but after a great public exhibit of his new light 
at Menlo Park in 1880, people were convinced that it was 
worth while. Edison's name is known in every part of the 
world to-day from this one invention. 

Edison built the first electric railway in America at 
Menlo Park. This railway was two miles long. The first 
electric car was probably as strange as the first steam 
train, but it has become so common now that it seems as 
much a part of a city as the streets. 

Edison also invented the quadruple telegraph which 
makes it possible to send four messages over one wire at 
the same time. He has also improved the telegraph and 
telephone in many ways. 

■ The phonograph which has given pleasure to so many 
homes is another of Edison's inventions. It has brought 
the voice of great singers and other famous people into the 
homes of thousands. A great industry, giving profitable 
employment to thousands of people, has been developed 
to manufacture it. 

The kinetoscope, or moving picture machine, was also 
first patented by Edison. This great invention has made 
it possible for everyone to see famous people in lifelike 
action, to see great plays, and to enjoy the beautiful scenery 
of many lands. 

In order to realize what Edison has done for the world 



THOMAS A. EDISON, THE GREAT INVENTOR 241 

it would be well to imagine a city without the inventions 
that he has made. After you have done that, think of the 
pleasure that comes from the phonograph and the moving 
picture, and the convenience and comfort and value of the 
electric light and the electric car. Because of his wonder- 
ful work Thomas A. Edison is considered one of America's 
great men. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What does the story of Edison's newspaper and his laboratory on 

the train teach us about Edison? 
II. Why was Edison given so much for his inventions? 

III. What do you mean by measuring success by help given to mankind? 

IV. Why was Edison called the " Wizard of Menlo Park " ? 

V. Select two or three of Edison's inventions and write a few sentences 

telling why they are important. 
VI. What do you admire most in Edison's character? 



CHAPTER XLII 
FRANCES E. WILLARD AND THE TEMPERANCE CRUSADE 

In the Capitol at Washington is a famous hall wherein 
each state has the privilege of placing two statues in 
memory of two of the prominent leaders of that state. 
Illinois selected Frances E. Willard as one of its truly 
great citizens worthy to be remembered in this way. The 
statue erected to her memory is the only one of a woman 
in this hall. Since the citizens of that state looked upon 
Miss Willard as one of its two great leaders, she must have 
done some important work. An account of her life and 
accomplishments shows that she did. 

She was born in Churchville, New York, September 28, 
1839. When she was two years of age her family moved 
to the college to^^^l of Oberlin, Ohio, where her father was 
a student in Oberlin College. 

Frances was a leader among her playmates. She organ- 
ized games in which her little friends might play Indian 
or sail the seas. She balanced a plank across a hen 
coop and, with a boy or girl on each end, they sailed on 
a calm or stormy sea according to the slow or fast motion 
of the plank. They had many wonderful adventures by 
following '' Frank," as the little girl, Frances, was called 
by her brother and two sisters. 

After five years in Oberlin Mr. Willard 's failmg health 
obliged him to seek a change in climate. He moved to the 
country near the present city of Beloit, Wisconsin. Here 
Frances attended school in a little shack of a building where 

242 



FRANCES E. WILLARD AND THE TEMPERANCE CRUSADE 243 



a few of the settlers' chil- 
dren gathered to learn read- 
ing, writing, and arithmetic 
under the direction of a 
young graduate of Yale 
College. 

It was fortunate that 
Frances had such a well 
educated teacher. Many 
of the teachers of those 
days should not have tried 
to teach. Oftentimes men 
worked on the farms in 
the summer and " kept " 
school, as it was termed, 
for a few months in the 
winter. Some of these 
teachers had little educa- 
tion or training, and were 
very poorly paid. Judging 
by the stories about the 
country schools of that 
time, many teachers must 
have spent as much time 
using the hickory whip as 
they did holding recitations 
in the various school sub- 
jects. 

Frances' interest in her 
Bchool work made her 
anxious to gain a good 
education. She worked 
faithfully and in a few 




Statue of Frances E. Willard in Wash- 
ington, D. C. 



244 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

years was graduated from the Northwest Female College. 
Soon afterwards she was invited by a friend at Evanston, 
Illinois, to take a trip abroad. She spent two and a half 
years in Europe studying and learning about the customs 
of the people there. She even made a journey to Syria and 
Egypt during her stay. The written accounts of her ex- 
periences were printed in American magazines and enjoyed 
by many readers. These articles showed that Miss Willard 
was a good observer, and also that she thought much about 
what she saw. 

When Miss Willard returned to the United States she 
became very popular as a lecturer. As she was an excellent 
speaker people flocked to hear her. For ten years she 
averaged at least one lecture a day. 

Miss Willard was shortly after this honored by being 
made president of a college for young women at Evanston, 
Illinois. She was later a member of the faculty of North- 
western University. As a teacher among the young women 
she found a way, as some said, " to change common things 
to gold." 

At that time many women throughout the country, but 
especially in the Middle West, were becoming interested 
in the temperance question. They worked to do away 
with the saloons because, as they claimed, the keeper of the 
saloon was in a " soul-destroying business." They marched 
through the streets singing hymns, held prayer meetings on 
street corners, and helped to start a great religious revival. 

Miss Willard became very much interested in this move- 
, ment because she believed in it. She finally gave up her 
work as a teacher and became an officer in the " Women's 
Christian Temperance Union," as the temperance move- 
ment came to be called. She was finally made World 
President of the W. C. T. U. 



FRANCES E. WILLARD AND THE TEMPERANCE CRUSADE 245 

Through her lectures and written articles she brought 
before the people of the whole nation the reasons why 
people should be temperate. She gave her entire self to 
this work and soon her name became a household word 
throughout the country. More and more people favored 
the teachings of the W. C. T. U. as this able leader lahored 
in her work of educating the people to believe with her. 

Finally various sections of the country began to abolish 
the saloons. At first a town here and there in a state would 
vote " dry," as it was termed. Large cities became dry 
and many states voted to stop the sale of all intoxicating 
liquors. In 1918, twenty years after Miss Willard's death, 
an act was passed by Congress by which all the states were 
called upon to vote for or against the manufacture and sale 
of intoxicating liquors. As over three-fourths of the states 
voted " dry," the eighteenth amendment to the Consti- 
tution was declared a law\ This amendment reads as 
follows : 

After one year from the ratification of this article, the manu- 
facture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating Uquors within, the 
importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from, the 
United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof, 
for beverage purposes, is hereby prohibited. 

A leader whose labors could result in educating the people 
to believe that his or her cause is worthy of an amendment 
to the Constitution of the United States is really great. 
Such a leader was Frances E. Willard. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Why should Illinois be proud of Frances E. Willard? 

II. What does it mean to be a good observer? 

III. What qualities made Miss Willard successful in her work? 

IV. What were some of the important arguments for the prohibition 

amendment? 



CHAPTER XLIII 



CLARA BARTON AND THE RED CROSS 



Clara Barton. 



Clara Barton stands foremost among the unselfish men 
and women who, through the agency of the Red Cross, 

have done so much for 
humanity in times of 
peace as well as of 
war. 

She was bom on 
Christmas day, 1830, 
in a little farm house 
in North Oxford, Mas- 
sachusetts. Her child- 
hood was that of a 
healthy, play - loving 
girl. She spent much 
of her time in the open 
where she enjoyed 
horseback riding and 
other sports that coun- 
try life affords. 

Her education was 
obtained at home under the direction of her brother, 
in the little school in her home town, and under a 
tutor. She did so well in her school work that she was 
given a certificate to teach when she was fifteen years of age. 
For eighteen years she spent her time as a teacher in the 
class-room. 

246 



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CLARA BARTON AND THE RED CROSS 247 

Her last two years of teaching were the most interesting 
of all. Those years were spent at Bordentown, New Jer- 
sey. Miss Barton was told that the people were too proud 
to send their children to a " free school for paupers." 
Teachers had tried to establish a school there, but all of them 
had failed. One said, " It is impossible to do anything in 
this place." Clara Barton was so certain that a school 
could be maintained that she taught for three months 
without pay. From a school of six pupils there grew one 
of one hundred six in a year. A new schoolhouse was 
built, of which Miss Barton was made principal. There 
were soon six hundred pupils in the new school. Without 
laws to compel school attendance, without books and other 
materials that are needed in a school, Clara Barton's school 
was filled because she knew boj^s and girls and loved to 
teach them. 

In memory of Miss Barton's work in the school at Borden- 
town, the boys and girls of New Jersey recently helped to 
rebuild and to restore the Bordentown schoolhouse in 
which she worked. This memorial is a beautiful tribute 
to her work. 

Failing health, however, compelled Miss Barton to resign 
her position. She then went to Washington where she 
spent some time as a clerk in the office of the Conmiissioner of 
Patents. She worked in Washington until the outbreak of 
the Civil War. 

Some of the first soldiers that engaged in the war were 
from Massachusetts. A group of these men was attacked 
by a mob while passing through Baltimore on the way to 
Washington. As a few of the injured soldiers were from 
Miss Barton's own town, it is not surprising to find her 
nursing them after they reached Washington. 

Because of her interest in soldiers who needed the care of 



248 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

nurses and doctors, she soon found a way to' get food and 
medicines to the battlefields. Through the Sanitary Com- 
mission appointed by the United States government she 
and such women as Mary A. Livermore and Dorothea Dix 
did a great ser\'ice in sending nurses, in providing ambu- 
lances to carry the wounded to hospitals, and in improxing 
the hospitals themselves, so that the wounded might receive 
proper attention. 

Near the close of the war Miss Barton was appointed 
by President Lincoln to search for the thousands of missing 
soldiers. She visited southern prisons where northern 
soldiers had been kept. She also laid out the grounds of a 
great National Cemetery and caused marked stones to be 
placed on the graves of over twelve thousand dead whom 
she had identified. After four years of such devoted work, 
Miss Barton was obliged to go to Switzerland for a rest. 

While she was still in Switzerland the war between France 
and Germany, called the Franco-Prussian War, broke out. 
Miss Barton offered her services, and through her efforts 
quantities of food and clothing were obtained for the 
starving people of Paris during the siege of that city. 

She returned to America after the war and asked Con- 
gress to establish a Red Cross Society in this country. She 
had become acquainted with it during her stay in Switzer- 
land where it was first organized. It took years to get a 
law passed to establish a Red Cross Society in this country. 
When it was done Miss Barton was made the first presi- 
dent. Very soon after this new laws extended the work 
of the Red Cross to other cases of suffering than those 
caused by war. It was authorized to relieve suffering 
caused by floods, fires, famines, earthquakes, and other 
forms of disaster. 

It was not long before great forest fires in Michigan, and 



CLARA BARTON AND THE RED CROSS 



249 



floods in the Mississippi Valley and in Johnstown, Penn- 
sylvania, gave the Red Cross of this country a great deal 
to do. As food and clothing and medical supplies were 
rushed to the aid of the fire and flood sufferers, people soon 
learned to value the Red Cross. 

During the last great war millions of dollars were raised 
by the Red Cross Society of this country and used to supply 




Red Cross Service on the Battle Field. 



the many calls for aid from Europe. No other society gave 
more freely nor aided more needy victims of the conflict 
than the American Red Cross. 

In order that you may understand the many ways in 
which sums of money collected and spent by the Red Cross 
were used, a sample budget or statement is given below: 

Reconstruction of four villages in devastated areas $403,090.00 

Care and prevention of tuberculosis 523,152.00 

Clothing, bedding, garden implements, live stock for small 



250 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

farms, cooking utensils for practically destitute in devas- 
tated areas 707,500.00 

Artificial limbs for mutilated soldiers, relief of blind, etc 12,629.00 

Assistance of orphans, destitute and neglected children 173,000.00 

Aid of refugees throughout France 259,500.00 

Clothing, employment, transportation and home relief for 
discharged soldiers; also medical exammation, super- 
vision and special relief for discharged soldiers 129,750.00 

Clara Barton's death occurred April 12, 1912, but her 
great work lives after her. For her services she received 
many honors from many countries throughout the world. 
The greatest of all honors, however, is the love and high 
regard in which her name is held everywhere. She never 
questioned the needy, whether friend or foe. She gave to 
all the example of a life of unselfish service. She may 
truly be called a great American. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. Miss Barton was a successful teacher. What were some of the 

reasons for her success? 
II. What are some good reasons why people should give to the Red 
Cross? 

III. Wliat does the fact that President Lincoln thought well of Miss 

Barton show us about her? 

IV. Why do you think the paragraph about how the Red Cross money 

was used in the last great war was put in this chapter? 
V, Wliat is meant by a life of unselfish service? 



CHAPTER XLIV 

PROJECT— HOW CLARA BARTON AND THE RED CROSS 
HAVE SHOWN US THE JOY OF UNSELFISH SERVICE 

By Vera M. Telfer, Warren County, N. J. 

Teacher's Aim. 

I. To have pupils become acquainted with the hfe of Clara Barton, 

the greatest American heroine. 
II. To have pupils know something about the activities of the 
American Red Cross. 
III. To teach them, also, something about the work of the Red Cross 

in other countries. 
rV. Through the life of Clara Barton and the spirit of the Red Cross, 
to emulate the divine command " Do unto others as ye would 
have them do unto you." 

Pupils' Aim. 

I. To find out what great things Clara Barton did which made the 
school children of New Jersey want to buy the old school in 
which she once taught. 
II. To learn about some of the things done by the American Red 
Cross which was founded by Clara Barton. 

III. To find out what the Red Cross has done and is doing in other 

countries. 

IV. To find out what we people at home in America have done and 

can do to help others. 

Note. 

Before beginning work have on hand as many as possible of the fol- 
lowing reference materials: 

(1) Chapter on Clara Barton in this book. 

(2) Story of the Red Cross— Pamphlet 60— Nov., 1917, The 

American Red Cross, Washington, D. C. 
251 



252 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

(3) Girls' Book of the Red Cross by Mary K. Hyde, published by 

Thos. Y. Crowell Co., New York, 

(4) The Life of Clara Barton, by Epler, The Macmillan Co. 

(5) Under the Red Cross Flag, by Mabel Boardman, J. B. Lippin- 

cott Co. 

(6) Home Service and the Disabled Soldier or Sailor. Free pam- 

phlet — ^A. R. C. 210 — Aug., 1918 Department of Civilian 
Relief, American Red Cross, Washington, D. C. 

(7) Red Cross Magazine. (Back numbers, also, if possible.) 

(8) Junior Red Cross News, published monthly by Department of 

Junior Membership of the American Red Cross, Wash- 
ington, D. C. (This is sent free to a school organized as 
Junior Red Cross Auxiliary.) 

(9) American Red Cross (Juvenile) (free). American Red Cross, 

44 E. 23rd Street, New York City. 

(10) Heroines of Service, by Mary R. Parkman, The Century Co., 

New York City. 

(11) The Red Cross Bulletin (free) American Red Cross, Wash- 

ington, D. C. 

(12) The Work of the American Red Cross, No. H (free), American 

Red Cross, Washington, D. C, 



SUBJECT MATTER AND PROCEDURE 

I. Arouse pupils' interest in Clara Barton by telling something 
about her little old, one-room school building in Bordentown, 
N. J., which the children of New Jersey have bought by paying 
one cent each. (A picture of this building may be obtained 
by addressing a letter to " Any Stationer}^ Store, Bordentown, 
N. J.") This should cause pupils to incjuire, "What great 
things did Clara Barton do which made the children of New 
Jersey want to buy that old building in which she once taught? " 

Assignment topic: — To find out the important things in 
Clara Barton's life. 

Use this text for important facts in Clara Barton's life. 

Supplement with other books. 
II. What great good has the American Red Cross Society done? 
(a) in peace times? (h) in war times? 



PORJECT — THE JOY OF UNSELFISH SERVICE 253 

(a) The Red Cross was established for giving help during 
war time. 

What did it do in peace times? 

Divide the class into groups, having each group 
study and report to the class about one or two 
peace time activities. Have them always make 
use of maps. Also pictures, if possible. 

Reference— Story of Red Cross, pp. 9-13, Geogra- 
phies. 
Use this text and other books as sources for 
material on these topics. 

Dramatized reports often help; e.g., have one 
group of children represent San Francisco people 
whose homes were destroyed. Another group 
might be Red Cross workers and tell of their 
relief work. 
• {b) What did the American Red Cross do during the Great 
War? 
Here again assign to groups, and have pupils make 
reports interesting to class by use of pictures, 
stories, maps, etc. First hand information 
should be obtained from returned soldiers, when 
possible. 

See text and other material for information on this 
topic. 

III. All were not able to go away from home during the recent war. 

(a) Wliat did we American people who were neither nurses, 

doctors, soldiers, nor sailors do here at home. 
This will include work done bj^ children and adults. 

Get inff)rmation from local Red Cross Cliapter. 
(Use old Red Cross posters, when speaking of the 

Red Cross Drives.) 

(b) Now that the war is over is there any Red Cross work 

to be done? 

Suggestions: 

(1) Help suffering children in foreign lands. 

(2) Help suffering children in our own neighborhood. 



254 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

(3) Sell Red Cross seals. See Girls' Book of the 

Red Cross, p. 74. 

(4) Try to keep healthy. Join the Modern Health 

Crusade. 

(5) Help to keep the neighborhood clean and attract- 

ive. 

(6) Help to keep the school and grounds clean and 

attractive. 

(7) Learn habits of thrift. 

(8) Make scrapbooks for children across the ocean. 

(9) Make scrapflowers and toys and also send 

flowers to sick children. 
(10) Try to get the real Red Cross spirit of kindness 
and service. 

Correlated Subjects: 

A great deal besides history has been learned in a project of this kind. 
It has furnished a motive for the following work in other subjects. 

English and Reading: 

(1) Letter writing (for books, pamphlets, motion picture reels, etc.). 

(2) Oral and written composition. 

(3) Dramatization. 

(4) Memory work, e.g. : 

Junior Red Cross Pledge: 

" I pledge myself to honor and serve the flag of my coun- 
try and to work, save and give, in order that the Red 
Cross, the emblem of humanity, sacrifice, and service, 
may bring relief and happiness to suffering children the 
world over." 

I would be friend to all — 
The foe, the friendless. 
I would be giving and forget the gift, 

I would be humble for I know my weakness; 
I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift. 

Howard Arnold Walter. 



PROJECT — THE JOY OF UNSELFISH SERVICE 255 

(5) Looking for Red Cross articles in newspapers and magazines. 

Geogrcq^hy: 

(1) United States — (San Francisco, etc., studied in Part II). 

(2) Europe — (Countries studied in Part III). 

(3) Maps of U. S. and Europe. 

Spelling: 

Words which were needed in writing compositions. 

Arithmetic: 

For suggestions, see Teachers' Manual of Junior Red Cross Activities, 
pp. 153-158. 

Hygiene: 

(1) Doing health chores, and the reasons for doing them. 

(2) Lessons on flies, mosquitoes, etc. 

(3) Lessons on prevention of tuberculosis. 

Physical Training: 

(1) Games. The Red Cross encourages all healthful games. 

(2) Folk dances. See Teachers' Manual, p. 139. 

Drawing and Handwork: 

(1) Booklets for compositions, pictures, etc. 

(2) Designs for book covers. 

(3) Charts showing compositions, pictures, maps, etc. 

(4) Posters advertising entertainment. 

(5) Scrapbooks and toys for children across the ocean, or for sick 

children in the neighborhood, or in the hospitals. For toys^ 
Teachers' Manual, p. 265. 

(6) Health charts and booklets. 



CHAPTER XLV 
THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE AMERICAN 

A MAN who greatly loved his country, who labored to 
make it one of the great nations of the world, and who met 
with a large measure of success in his efforts was Theodore 
Roosevelt. His deeds form a large part of our history 
during the last twenty years. No doubt many of you have 
seen his picture, and perhaps have seen hmi in action as 
shown by the moving pictures. If you have, you feel 
somewhat acquainted with him. 

He was born in New York Cit}^ in 1858. His parents 
were wealthy. He had opportunities for education that 
others of our great men did not have in early life. He had 
some great disadvantages, however, that are harder to 
overcome than the lack of w^ealth. As a boy he had very 
poor health, and his eyesight was so defective that he was 
obliged to wear glasses from an early age. 

He made his weak body strong, however, by hard work 
and healthful exercise. He spent much time tramping 
through the woods, making use of his opportunity to study 
the birds and plants. His outdoor life brought a rich 
reward in the strength that finally came to his w^eak muscles. 
He held his own, and then excelled the other boys in their 
games. He believed in being a real boy. In later years, 
in speaking about boys, he said, " Of course, what we have 
a right to expect of the American boy is that he shall turn 
out to be a good American man. Now, "the chances are 
that he won't be much of a man unless he is a good deal of 

256 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE AMERICAN 257 

a boy. He must not be a coward or a weakling, a bully, 
a shirk, or a prig. He must work hard and play hard. He 
must be clean-minded and clean-lived, and able to hold his 




Theodore Roosevelt. 

The active, earnest leader whose chief desire was to serve his country. 

own under all circumstances and against all comers. It is 
only under these conditions that he will grow into the kind 
of a man of whom America can really be proud. In life, 



258 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the 
line hard; don't foul, and don't shirk, but hit the line hard." 

Life at Harvard University for Roosevelt was occupied 
with work to preserve his health and study to fill his mind 
with all that could possibly be gained from the college 
course. He was often beaten in boxing matches, but he 
never stopped boxing. His glasses were often knocked off, 
sometimes his nose bled, but he pressed the fight just the 
same. His courage gained the adnuration and friendship 
of those who often came to laugh. It was said of him, 
" He buried himself in his books, but he woke up at the 
proper season, and what he got he kept. He went in for 
play, all there was of it, but he never let play run away 
with him." 

While still in college he wrote his first book, " The Naval 
War of 1812." This book was so good that it takes first 
rank of all books on that subject. 

Soon after leaving college young Roosevelt was elected 
to the New York Assembly. The young man took a very 
active part the first year he was in the assembly. He stood 
for certain reforms that no one had been brave enough to 
stand for before; and his success in overcoming those who 
were opposed to him soon made him a leader among the 
men of New York State. 

He spent some years in the West where he went to recover 
his health after three years' hard work in the Assembly. 
His life as a ranchman among the men who took pride in 
their bodily strength is interesting. Although he was still 
far from strong, and wore thick glasses in order to see, he 
soon changed the jeers of the Western cowboys to admira- 
tion. He was successful as a ranchman, but he returned 
to New York City as soon as he regained his health. 

As Police Commissioner in New York Citv Roosevelt 



Washington 13° 




THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE AMERICAN 



259 



made such a fine record that he became known throughout 
the country. 

He held other important pubhc offices. When the 
Spanish-American War occurred in 1898 he was Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy. He resigned that position, organ- 
ized a regiment of 
men called the 
" Roughriders," and 
went to Cuba with 
them as then- Col- 
onel. While there 
he led his men in 
an important battle 
of that war at San 
Juan Hill. On his 
return from Cuba he 
was received as a 
popular hero. The 
citizens of New York 
elected him to the 
governorship, for he 
was looked upon by 
many of his coun- 
trymen as one of 
the great men of the 
time. 
The Spanish 
American War was a short conflict between the United 
States and Spain. For many years Spain persecuted 
the people of Cuba over whom she ruled. Many attempts 
to secure their freedom were made by the Cubans, but 
Spain was too powerful for the island people to con- 
quer. In 1898 the United States sent the battleship 




William McKinley. 

President during the Spanish-American War. 



260 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Maine to Havana, Cuba, to look after our interests. While 
at anchor in Havana harbor the Maine was destroyed by 
an explosion. Several hundred sailors were killed. As it was 
alleged, though never proved, that the Spaniards were re- 
sponsible for the destruction of the vessel, President McKinley 
recommended a declaration of war. The fighting was over 
in one hundred days. The United States was successful 
in every battle. Freedom from Spanish rule was gained 
by all Spanish ruled islands in the West India group and 
in the Philippine Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The United 
States bought the Philippines for $20,000,000 and annexed 
Porto Rico. Cuba was given independence under the 
protection of the United States govermnent. 

On March 4, 1901, Roosevelt became Vice-President of 
the United States. Only a few months later, in September, 
1901, William McKinley, the President, was shot by an 
assassin while visiting the Buffalo Exposition, and Mr. 
Roosevelt succeeded him as President. Thus, at forty- 
three years of age, this earnest, hard-working, gifted man 
reached the highest office in the land, at an earlier age than 
any other of our presidents. 

As president he was active in urging internal improve- 
ments. He was sometimes called the " Irrigation Presi- 
dent " because of the important work that he did in opening 
up thousands of acres of western land to farmers by pro- 
viding means for irrigating it. He built up a great navy 
and was among the first in America to attempt to put the 
United States among the great nations of the world as a 
military and naval power. As president he urged many 
business reforms and fought dishonest ways of doing busi- 
ness with a great deal of success. 

During his term as president he had a bill passed whereby 
the Panama Canal was constructed. This canal, which 



THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE AMERICAN 



261 



joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by running through 
Central America, is one of the most valuable pieces of work 
done since this country became a nation. It is a great 
monument to Roosevelt's statesmanship. 

Roosevelt took a leading part in bringing to a close the 
war between Japan and Russia. He invited representatives 
from those two countries to meet at Portsmouth, New 
Hampshire, with a view to settling their difficulties. The 




This Picture Shows How Fields Are Watered by Means of Irrigation Ditches. 



meeting ended with the signing of a treaty of peace. The 
part that Roosevelt played as a peacemaker helped greatly 
in making him known throughout the world. 

Many other things might be said of Theodore Roosevelt. 
He was a many-sided man. He wrote many books; in 
fact, more than some men who have done nothing but write 
books. He was a student of nature, and, as a writer and 
hunter, he made himself famous as a naturalist. He was a 



262 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

successful ranchman, an editor, an army officer, and a 
statesman. 

His life was filled with action. After he left the presi- 
dency he wrote many articles and delivered hundreds of 
speeches. All that he wrote or said was for the purpose of 
serving his country. 

On January 6, 1919, Mr. Roosevelt passed away at Oyster 
Bay, New York. He lies buried near the home where, 
with his family, he spent many happy hours. He was a 
public servant for many years, but he always loved the 
quiet of his home where he could be with his wife and 
children. 

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What is the l:)est lesson that the story of the early life of Roosevelt 

teaches us? 
II. What is meant by being a real boy? 

III. What does the fact that Roosevelt's first book was so good teach 

us? 

IV. Why do you think Roosevelt was successful as a ranchman? 

V. Roosevelt's love of country caused him to go into the New York 
Assembly and fight for " clean politics." What does love of 
country mean? 
VI. Think over some important things Roosevelt did as President 

and tell why you think they were important. 
VII. In what different lines was Roosevelt successful? ^Vliat does this 

show about him? 
VIII. What two sides in Roosevelt's life do the last two paragraphs in 
this story show you? 
IX. Wliat do you like about Roosevelt? 



CHAPTER XLVI 



ANNA HOWARD SHAW AND WOMAN SUFFRAGE 



In the story of the earhest settlers in both Massachusetts 
and Virginia you read of their desire to have a voice in 
making the laws that gov- 
erned them. You also 
learned in the story of the 
War for Independence that 
the colonists wanted to be 
represented in the British 
Parliament. From the time 
of the first settlement in 
what is now the United 
"States up to the present 
day the question of the 
right to vote for men who 
make the laws has been an 
important one. After many 
changes in the laws all men 
who were citizens and who 
were twenty-one years of 
age were given the right 
to vote. 

Although this change gave 
more people the right to vote 
than ever before, it was thought unfair because only men 
citizens could vote. The women were still denied this 
right. Many men and women worked hard to have laws 

263 




Anna Howard Shaw. 

Her leadership meant much to the woman 
suffrage cause. 



264 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

passed giving women the right to vote, too. Several states, 
particularly in the West and Middle West, when they 
entered the Union, gave women the right to vote as well as 
men, but it took many years of hard work by tho.se who 
supported the movement to bring about equal suffrage in all 
the states. Finally, in 1919, a constitutional amendment 
was passed by the United States Congress which reads as 
follows : 

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be 

denied or abridged by the United States or by any State 
on account of sex. 

2. Congress shall have power, by appropriate legislation, to 

enforce the provisions of this Article. 

After this amendment was adopted by thirty-six states it 
became a part of the Constitution and was declared effective 
by the Secretary of State on August 26, 1920. 

Among the many workers for the cause of woman suf- 
frage in this country no one did more than Anna Howard 
Shaw. She spent many years of her life going from city to 
city, urging the people to give women an equal right with 
men in selecting office holders and in voting on questions 
of the day. 

Anna Howard Shaw was born in England in 1847 but 
spent her girlhood in northern Michigan. Her parents 
were poor pioneers. She had little chance for an education, 
but she had such a strong desire to do things worth while 
that she overcame all difficulties. You will find the story 
of her life in the Michigan woods very interesting if you care 
to read it. 

Anna Howard Shaw called herself a pioneer. This means 
not only that she was one of the first settlers in Michigan, 
but that she took part in doing for the first time many 



ANNA HOWARD SHAW AND WOMAN SUFFRAGE 265 

things that had always been thought a man's work instead 
of a woman's work. 

She began to preach at an early age. As this was thought 
unwomanly at that time, many of her friends urged her 
to give it up. However, she believed she was right in doing 
whatever useful thing she could do well, even though she 
were a woman. 

In 1873 she entered Albion College in Michigan. Her 
entire capital was eighteen dollars, but she spent two years 
there and two years in a theological school, graduating with 
a good record, although forced to earn her way by lecturing 
and preaching from time to time in nearby towns. 

Through the kindness of a friend she was given an oppor- 
tunity to travel in Europe after graduating from college. 
Much of her time there was spent in preparing herself for 
her life work. 

After returning to America she preached in Massachu- 

' setts for several years. While attending to her work as a 

preacher, she found time to study medicine in Boston and 

became a doctor of medicine. You may read of her as 

Doctor Shaw. 

A short time after completing her medical work she 
became interested in woman suffrage. From then on her 
whole life was given to that cause. She gave up her church 
work and lectured throughout the country upon this move- 
ment which had become so dear to her heart. She used 
very often to say, " Nothing bigger can come to a human 
being than to love a great cause more than life itself, and 
to have the privilege throughout life of working for that 
cause." Think what a splendid maxim or motto that 
would be upon which to model your life. 

In time Anna Howard Shaw came to be regarded as one 
of the leading orators of her day. The whole country 



266 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



admired and respected her also for her plucky fight for what 
she believed to be right. She possessed an unusual amount 
of common sense and good humor which served her well in 
many a difficult situation. To her years of hard work as 




Anna Howard Shaw Leading a Suffrage Parade. 

a WTiter of books and newspaper articles is due, in large 
measure, the success of the woman suffrage movement. 



THINGS TO TfflNK ABOUT 

I. What is meant by an amendment to the Constitution? 

II. Why is the question of suffrage important? 

III. Why was Anna Howard Shaw a " pioneer " ? 

rV. What was the most important work done by Miss Shaw? 



CHAPTER XLVII 



WOODROW WILSON AND THE WORLD WAR 



WooDROW Wilson, the president of the United States 
from 1913 to 1921, was born in Staunton, Virginia, Decem- 
ber 28, 1856. He 
received his educa- 
tion in a small col- 
lege in the South, 
in Princeton Uni- 
versity, and in the 
University of Vir- 
ginia. He was Presi- 
dent of Princeton 
University for sev- 
eral years and served 
a part of one term 
as Governor of New 
Jersey, from which 
office he resigned 
when he was nomi- 
nated for the presi- 
dency of the United 
States. To this 
office he was elect- 
ed in November, 
1912. 




Woodrow Wilson, the War President. 



From Aug. 1, 1914, until November 11, 1918, the whole 
world was interested in the great war started by Germany. 

267 



268 FOUNDEKS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The United States took no part in actual fighting until 
1917. Up to that time the great countries in Europe — 
England, France, Italy, and Russia, and other smaller 
countries, — carried on the war against Germany, Austria, 
Bulgaria, and Turkey. 

At first the American people did not want to enter the 
war, but, as many thought we would not be able to keep 
out of it, a campaign of " Preparedness," or getting ready, 
was carried on. The army and navy were made much 
larger, and much was done to arouse the people to the 
necessity of being ready for war, if it should come. 

In the beginning of the war England's powerful navy 
blockaded Germany and Austria in order that no food should 
be sent to those countries. Germany declared Great 
Britain blockaded, but, as she had no ships except sub- 
marines to keep neutral vessels from reaching England, 
she had to use that type of vessel. The subniarines were 
very successful for a while. . Germany had a large number 
of them, with which she destroyed many vessels belonging 
to her enemies, or the Allies, as they were called. 

The destruction of a vessel alone would have been thought 
fair in time of war. The submarines, however, not only 
sank the ships but destroyed hundreds of lives as well, 
because no efforts were made by the submarine com- 
manders to save the sailors and passengers. 

The United States protested against this policy of " fright- 
fulness," as it was called, because Germany sought, by 
using such frightful means, to terrify her enemies into giv- 
ing up. The Germans did not heed our protests but con^ 
tinned to sink any vessel that a submarine might sight. 
On May 7, 1915, the greatest crime of this kind recorded 
in history was committed when a submarine sank, without 
warning, the great passenger steamer, Lusitania, off the 



WOODROW WILSON AND THE WORLD WAR 269 

« 

coast of Ireland. In this terrible disaster over twelve 
hundred persons were drowned, many of them women and 
children. One hundred and fourteen of those who were 
lost were Americans. 

After this crime a promise was exacted from the Germans 
that ships should be warned before sinking and the safety 
of the passengers and crews should be assured. This 
promise was soon broken; other passenger vessels were 
sunk with great loss of life. Finally the German repre- 



im^ms^^mmm 



*_j ^ii- _r- -^^ — >- '- * 

-' . ■ ^"" "- .SliiiBiP?!??^""'**" — "r —" [I 'l U P iii i p* "J i i i iin^ 




A Submarine As It Appears When on the Surface. 

sentative in this country informed President Wilson that 
after January 31, 1917, any vessels found in a large area 
around Great Britain would be sunk without warning. 
This open refusal of Germany to pay any attention to the 
rights of our ships on the seas and her many broken 
promises led President Wilson to go before Congress and 
ask for a declaration of war against Germany. War was 
declared April 6, 1917. 

When asking Congress for a declaration of war President 
Wilson said, " Our object is to vindicate the principle of 



270 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



SiftP-llftJ (Congress of t(|t Snttcb States of America; 
a^t the ^irst Session, 

Brgun and held M the City of Washington on Monday, the s*<ooil Jay «( Apr8, 
one thousand nine hundred and sctfentctra. 



JOINT resolution; 



Declaring that u hlalc of war oxikIk iM-lwtrrii Ihi' liii|ifrial (ii-riiiuii (ioviiiiiii(<iii 
and tho (luvcrniiK-iit imd lh<; |k^»jiI(; rtf tin; I'iiKmI 8|uIi'n uml iiiiiKiii- 
provision Ut pro^cculn (h<) Kami'. 



Whereas the Im|)tTiul (ieniian fiiivi>riiMi('ni''liii>i <-i)|iiiiiiiiiil T<-|H-:ii.'ti tu'is <>!' 
war agaiiiM tlic <!iiv<tiiiiiciiI aiul (Ih; (M^oidtv nf t|i»- rnilcil Siaii'* <>t* 
America: Therefori,- l>c it 

tivmlri-il hi/ l/i<- Sviiillr mid llnii.ii- iij Hrfirfsnifiiliri-i «/ ///<• t'lilliil SI'i/i .< • 
'>/ Aiiifririi 1,1 <'iiii<iri:f.f nAifinhM, Thai ihr sl.-ili- of war helwrell ihc I'liilcfl 
Slates and ihe liii|Nrrial Cienutin (ioveriiiiifiii wliirh has thuM U't-ii liinisl ii|hiii 
the l,'iiite<l States is hcruhy ronnally ile<:hin<i: ajid llial tho I'rrsidriil Im-. and 
he is hereby, authorized and directed to employ llir ciitiro iiav:il and military 
fon-e-* of the t'nite<I Stairs and the resources of tin; (iovi'nnneiil to earryonuar 
against llie Imix-rial rifnuun (juvcrnmeiit ; and to hring ihe •onHiri Id a 
suwessfii! Icrniinalioii nil of the nwain-es of the eounliy are hert-lij pli'dgcd hy 
tho Congress of the I 'jiiled Stales. ^ ^ 

Speaker o/ the lloiue of RpprvJiftiUilin-t. 

\ u-f. J'rfiiuienl of Ike Uinted Slates ami 

Prtndenl of the Simili: 






Joint Resolution — Declaration of War between the Imperial German 
Government and the Government of the United States. 



WOODROW WILSON AND THE WORLD WAR 271 

peace and justice in the life of the world against selfish 
autocratic power, and to set up among the really free and 
self-governed peoples of the world such a concert of purpose 
and action as will henceforth insure the observance of those 
principles." 

More directly with regard to freedom he said, " We are 
glad, now that we see the facts with no veil of false pretense 
about them, to fight thus for the peace of the world and for 
the liberation of its peoples, the German people included; 
for the rights of nations great and small and the privilege 
of men everywhere to choose their way of life and of obedi- 
ence. The world must be made safe for democracy. Its 
peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of 
political liberty." 

The closing words of the famous address strike the 
highest notes in the " Battle Cry of Freedom " so long 
sung by the people of the United States. He concluded 
his address as follows: 

" But the right is more precious than peace, and we shall 
fight for the things which we have always carried nearest 
our hearts — for democracy, for the right of those who sub- 
mit to authority to have a voice in their own government, 
for the rights and liberties of small nations, for a universal 
dominion of right by such a concert of free peoples as shall 
bring peace and safety to all nations and make the world 
itself at last free. 

" To such a task we can dedicate our lives and our for- 
tunes, everything that we are and everything that we have, 
with the pride of those who know that the day has come 
when America is privileged to spend her blood and her 
might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness 
and the peace which she has treasured. God helping her, 
she can do no other." 



272 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 




General John J. Pershing. 



President Wilson thus 
clearly expressed the under- 
lying principles of a Clov- 
ernment such as ours. 

Immediately after the 
declaration of war active 
preparations were made to 
carry on our share of it. 
The " Draft " Act, by which 
young men were selected 
for army service, was passed 
by Congress. A large army 
was soon raised. The navy 
was strengthened, hundreds 
of boats were built, aero- 
planes were constructed, 
railroads and telegraph lines 
were taken out of private 
hands and put under the 
management of the govern- 
ment; and the food and 
fuel supplies of the country 
were conserved as much as 
possible. 

The German ships in 
United States ports were 
seized and many of them 
put to good use when the 
time came to send an army 
to France. By June, 1917, 
American troops were being 
landed on French soil. Be- 
fore the war closed nearly 



WOODROW WILSON AND THE WORLD WAR 



273 



two million of our men were ready to fight the Germans. 
These men were under the command of General John J. 
Pershing. 

In all engagements where the American troops took part 
they met with success. The marines fought so bravely 
that the Germans called them the " Devil Dogs of War." 




School Children Working for the Red Cross. 



The untried soldiers who were recruited from farms, facto- 
ries, and stores showed as good fighting qualities as the 
German Kaiser's trained men. Before they went to France, 
the Germans laughed at the American " tin soldiers," but 
they found a foe that was more than a match for them when 
they met the " tin soldiers " in battle at Chateau Thierry, 



274 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



St. Mihiel, and Metz, — great conflicts that helped to decide 
the war. 

Throughout the war the Red Cross, the Y. M. C. A., the 
Knights of Columbus, the Salvation Army, and many other 

organizations did a 
noble work in sup- 
plying necessities to 
the sick and wound- 
ed in the hospitals 
and to the fighters 
in the fields and 
camps. 

The boys and 
girls of America as 
members and work- 
ers in the Junior 
Red Cross Society 
helped a great deal. 
They made many 
thousands of articles 
useful in the hospi- 
tals and camps, also 
thousands of gar- 
ments for the poor 
children of the war 
districts in France 
and Belgium. The 
greatest lesson in 
giving ever taught was presented by America's part in 
helping the needy in the lands across the sea. 

On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed. By 
the terms of this armistice Germany and all her allies sur- 
rendered to the armies of the Allies. The terms of surrender 




Statue of Liberty, 



WOODROW WILSON AND THE WORLD WAR 



275 



were severe but no more so than those Germany planned 
to inflict upon the allied nations, had she defeated them, 
as she expected. 

After the armistice was signed President Wilson visited 
France and other countries in Europe. He met at Ver- 
sailles with representatives of other powers that had been 




Soldiers Returning from France. 



engaged in war against Germany to draw up a treaty of 
peace. The treaty was signed at Versailles, June 28, 
1919. 

Peace was declared between Germany and other great 
nations in Europe and elsewhere by the terms of this treaty, 
but our national government did not accept the treatj^ made 
at Versailles. A separate treaty with Germany was ratified 
by Congress in October, 1921. Ratifications of the treaty 



276 



FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



were exchanged by representatives of the United States and 
Germany on November 11, 1921. 

President Wilson labored diligently for a League of 
Nations which would in the future act upon great questions 
between nations. Forty-two countries of the world have 
already joined his League, of which meetings of its officers 

are held regularly 
for the discussion 
of important ques- 
tions. Our govern- 
ment did not join 
the League. 

For his unceas- 
ing effort and his 
leadership during 
the World War to 
" make /the world 
safe f6r democ- 
racy," Woodrow 
Wilson should- be 
given an import^t 
place among our 
great men. 

Li affairs con- 
nected with the 
relations between 
nations of the world there has come a great change in the last 
few 3' ears. In the past, too often, wars followed disputes 
between nations. As you have learned, the League of 
Nations was founded for the purpose of giving such nations 
as may have disputes a hearing before war is declared. 
Another great step toward doing away with war was the 
meeting of all great nations, called by President Warren 




Warren G. Harding 



WOODROW WILSON AND THE WORLD WAR 



277 



G. Harding, Mr. Wilson's successor. This meeting was 
called on November 11, 1921, the third anniversary of 
the signing of the armistice which stopped the fighting 
in the World War. Representatives from different nations 
discussed the question of disarmament. Since favorable 
action followed the discussion, it is hoped that such terrible 




Capitol of the United States. 



conflicts as have taken place in the past will not occur 
again. The vast resources of the world may then be used 
for bringing comfort to the people instead of being wasted 
in war. Such a condition will indeed be a happy ending 
to the struggle for freedom upon the part of the people of 
this nation and of other nations. 



278 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 



THINGS TO THINK ABOUT 

I. What is meant by preparedness? 

II. Our country protested against the war as carried on by the sub- 
marines. Why? 

III. Are acts of war crimes? Explain your answer. 

IV. Why were young men drafted into the army? 

V. Why do you think our soldiers were good soldiers? 
VI. Do you think the boys and girls helped win the war? Give reasons 

for your answer. 
VII. What do you mean by " Allies " ? 

VIII. What is meant by making the world safe for democracy? 
IX. What is meant by " America is privileged to spend her blood and 

her might for the principles that gave her birth " ? 
X. Freedom and Liberty were often spoken of by Woodrow Wilson. 

Wliy? 
XI. Who is a good citizen? 



CHAPTER XLVIII 
PAGEANT 

The Development of Liberty in America 

I. Anlhem. — " Hope Thou in God " — sung by the school or by a 

selected chorus. 
II. Song — The Recessional. 

At the conclusion of the singing a pupil comes to the 
front and, addressing the Flag, recites the poem 
" Old Glory," by James Whitcomb Riley. 
Enter, Columbia and History. 
Child. — Miss Columbia. 

Columbia. — If you would understand the full meaning of our 
glorious flag, History will turn for you her pages to the 
pictures of the great events which have been the stepping- 
stones in the onward march for freedom and self-govern- 
ment in America. 

(History goes forward with the Child. Columbia seats 

herself on her dias.) 
A band of Indians rush in, with war whoops, and dance 
to the back of stage where they sit with their backs 
toward the audience and remain still until after the 
Pilgrims leave the stage. 
Music for Indian War Dance may be found in the State 
Monograph, "A Course in Physical Training, Grades 
I-VI," page 119. 

Indian War Dance 

Formation.— Sitting on floor in circle, facing in, arms folded high. 

Bend forward and back 4 times (1-8) (meas. 1-4). 

Bend R and L alternately (1-8) (meas. 5-8). 

Raise arms high and look up 4 times (repeat meas. 1-4). 

With R hand over eyes look 4 times R; with L hand over eyes, 

look 4 times L (meas. 5-12). 
Smoke pipe 4 times (meas. 13-16). 
279 



280 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Jump up, run around circle, little jumpy steps, arms alternately 

raised sharply, starting at beginning of piece. When meas. 

17 is reached strike floor twice, and on measure 18 yell 3 

times, putting hand over mouth after each yell is started. 

Repeat, striking floor and yelling on meas. 19-20, 25-26, 27-28, 

running on all measures in between. 
Note. — If this run proves too long do not begin it until meas. 9. 
History. — The first representative assembly in America con- 
vened at James City in Virginia, July 30, 1619. 

(Historj' and the Child back to the rear of the stage 
while 10 or 12 boj's dressed in colonial costume enter.) 
III. Scene. — House of Burgesses — INIarch from " Aida." 

The chairman raises his hand and all bow heads as if in prayer. 
Chairman. — " We meet to-day to enact laws which will promote 

the best mterest of our colony." 
Burgess I. — " In our colony, I am sorry to say, are some 
people who do not do their share of work. Therefore, I move 
that the following law be adopted : 

"All men physically fit for manual work who refuse to 
apply themselves to some occupation, shall, after 
fair warning, be placed in stocks and fed on bread 
and water for not less than a week, and so long 
afterward, vnitil they promise to lay aside their evil 
waj's, and l)ecome faithful workers in our colony." 
Leader puts the ciuestion and the vote is taken. 
Burgess II. — " I move the cargoes brought in jjy the Dutch 

trading vessel be discussed." 
Burgess III. — " I second the motion." 

Here a pantomime of discussion takes place. 
Burgess IV. — " I move the meeting take a short recess." 
Burgess V. — " Second the motion." 

Leader takes vote and the Burgessess leave the stage. 
History steps forward. 
History. — " The year after the first meeting of the House of 
Burgesses the Pilgrims came to America in search of religious 
freedom. 
IV. PiJgriiDs enter and group themselves on the stage. Music: 
" The Breaking Waves Dashed High." First stanza is sung 
while entering. 



PAGEANT 281 

1st Character. — " Let us a covenant make that we may one body 
be, to maintain both order and justice in this our new home." 

2nd Character. — " We come to this new hind to find hberty; 
Uberty to work, to think, to pray, to worship God in our own 
fashion. Surely naught is too much to ask or to give for that." 

3rd Characler. — " Carver, Bradford, Brewster, Standish, Mul- 
hns, White, and Hopkins are at this time writing for us an 
agreement wherein we are bound one and all to maintain 
those principles and ideals for which we have forsaken our 
beloved country and but now arrived at these bleak shores. 
Let us together live as brothers and sisters doing the will of 
God in all things." 

1st Character. — " All, the agreement is finished. Read to us, 
Brother Brewster, what has been wTitten that we may more 
clearly understand to what we bind ourselves." 

Ij^th Character. — Compact. 

Mayflower Compact 

'' In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are 
underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sov- 
ereign lord. King James, by the grace of God, of 
Great Britahi, France, and Ireland, King, defender 
of the faith, etc., have undertaken, for the glory of 
God and advancement of the Christian faith, and 
honor of our King and country, a voyage to plant 
the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, 
do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the 
presence of God and one another, covenant and 
combine ourselves together into a civil body politic 
for our better preservation and furtherance of the 
ends aforesaid; and by virtue thereof to enact, 
constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, 
ordinances, and offices from time to time as shall l)e 
thought most meet and convenient for the general 
good of the colony, into which we promise all due 
submission and obedience. 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our 
names at Cape Cod, the 11th day of November, in 



282 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

the year of the reign of our sovereign lord, King 
James of England, France and Ireland the 
eighteenth, and of Scotland, the fifty-fourth, 
anno domini, 1620. 
1st Character. — " A praiseworthy compact, truly, one to which 
every Puritan among us will put his name. 
(Pilgrims sign compact.) 
1st Character. — "And now we go to our new home which our 
Lord has brought us to safely, through many afflictions, to a 
new world where flowers bloom and birds sing and every 
man is free to worship God in his own fashion. Great happi- 
ness and peace of mind await us here. So bravely do we go 
forth trusting all things to the Lord." 

The last stanza of " The Breaking Waves Dashed High " 
is sung while they are leaving the stage. 
V. Indians rise, rush forward and do the Indian Sun Dance. Music : 
Laurel Octavo, Folio 100. They then seat themselves in a 
circle and William Penn enters. 
VI. Willia7n Penn and the Indians. 

William Penn. — " Let the Indians and white people be friends. 
Let us agree to dwell together on this land which belongs to 
both of us. If there should be quarrels, you may choose six 
Indians and I shall choose six white people to settle any 
quarrel. I will not call you my children for fathers some- 
times whip their children. I will not call you brothers, 
because brothers often quarrel. I will call you the same per- 
sons as the white people. We are the two parts of the same 
body." 
Indian Chief. (Hands wampum belt.) — " We will live with 
William Penn and his children as long as the sun and moon 
shall last." 

William Penn leaves the stage and the Indians dance 
off, giving war whoops. 
VII. Enter the Colonial Dames in groups of twos and threes — 
Pantomime assembling for a sewing party. The servant 
brings in tea which the dames regard with surprise and horror. 
They join hands and sing. 
Song. — Music "Auld Lang Syne." 

Song of Colonial Dames of the Boston Tea Party: 



PAGEANT 283 



No tea we take for Conscience sake, — 
The unjust tax we hate. 
Tho' tyrant George our chains may forge 
For better times we wait. 



Come peace or wars, we do implore, 
A blessing on our land. 
Tho' dark distress may us surround, 
United we shall stand. 

Choeus 

Away with all the hated tax, — 
We'll never more drink tea, 
Until from England's cruel chains 
America is free. 

Indian. — " Fear not, Mesdames! We are not real Indians. This 
is the dress we wore at the Boston Tea Party, when we threw 
the tea overboard to show King George that we Americans 
will not submit to taxation without representation." 

Colonial Dames. — "Good! Good!" 

Song of Indians and Colonial Dames taken from old copy 
of Popular Educational Publication. Dames and 
Indians join hands, dance around in a circle. Three 
Indians stand in center and enact tossing of tea 
overboard. 

Tune. — Yankee Doodle. 

'Twas Boston town and at the wharf 
Three English vessels lying. 
Some subjects of King George the III, 
Around them went a spying. 



284 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Chorus 

Toss the cargoes overboard 
We will not have taxation 
Until the king will give to us 
A fair representation. 
March off singing. 
Music, " Double Eagle March." 
IX. A band of Minute Men enter and drill. 

The Minute Men leave the stage. 
X. A boy comes forward and recites part of Patrick Henry's Speech. 
XI. The chorus sings " The American Flag." 

During the singing of the first stanza a group of boys, 
representing the signers of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, arrange themselves as at the Continental 
Congress, one reads: 
" We hold these truths to be se]f-e\adent: that all men 
are created equal: that they are endowed by their 
Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among 
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 



'''' We, therefore, the representatives of the United States 
of America, in general Congress assembled, appealing 
to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude 
of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the 
authority of the good people of these colonies, 
solemnly publish and declare, That these United 
Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and 
independent States; that they are absolved from 
all allegiance to the British crown, and that all 
political connection between them and the state 
of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dis- 
solved." 

The members gather around speaker and sign document 
after which a speaker says: 

" We must now hang together." 



PAGEANT 285 

Ben Franklin. — " We must hang together or we will hang 

separately." 
They leave stage and the chorus sings last stanza of "American 

Flag." 
History. — (coming forward). " In May, 1787, a convention 

met in Philadelphia to draw up laws which would better meet 

the needs of the growing country. 
" In its strength and in its weakness it was an ideally perfect 

assembly. There were men representing twelve states. 

Among these men were Washington, Franklin, Hamilton 

and Madison. After they had worked for four months the 

paper was ready to be signed. 
" Gladstone said that the American Constitution is the most 

wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain 

and purpose of man." 

(Enter groups of twos and threes from both sides of 
stage and take their places.) 
Washington. — " It is probable that no plan we propose will be 

adopted. Perhaps another dreadful conflict is to be sus- 
tained. If to please the people we offer what we ourselves 

disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? 
" Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can 

repair — the event is in the hand of God." 
Benjamin Franklin (passing a paper to a young man.) 
The tjonng man reads. — " We have considered these questions 

for four months. The heat of our discussion has been rivaled 

only by the scorching summer. 
" Wlien a joiner wishes to fit two boards, he sometimes pares 

off a bit from both. 
" The foundation of our Constitution has been laid on three 

great compromises. 
" While there are some parts of this body of laws I do not approve 

I am astonished to find it so nearly perfect. 
" For the sake of posterity I hope we shall act unanimously in 

recommending it." 
Morris. — (Calls out the names of the States and the men rush 

eagerly to sign.) 

When " Massachusetts " is called Elbridge Gerry shakes 
his head " No," but others from Massachusetts go up 
to sign. 



286 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

When Virginia is called two members refuse, but the 

others sign. 

When the roll call has been completed Morris waves the 

paper exultingly. Washington stands with bowed 

head — the rest of the company stand awe-stricken. 

Franklin. — "As I have been sitting here all these weeks I have 

often wondered whether yonder sun is rising or setting, but 

now I know it is a rising sun." 

(All smile and pass out cheerfully.) 
Music. — " Soldiers' Chorus " from Faust — one stanza. 
XI. The Inauguration of Washington. Music: Chopin's Prelude 
in C Minor. 
Enter John Adams, Chancellor Livingstone, and the Secretary 

of Senate with George Washington. 
They form a tableau, " Washington taking the oath of office." 
A reader reads Washington's Inauguration by John 
Fiske, beginning with " On the 30th day came the 
Inauguration," and ending with, " Long Live George 
Washington, President of the United States." 
The last sentence is said by the whole school in unison. 
The group then stand with bowed heads while one 

stanza of " America " is sung. 
As they leave the stage History steps forward and says 
in a ringing voice: 

Emancipation Proclamation 

History. — "And now the time arrives when every drop of blood 
drawn by the lash must be answered by another drawn by 
the sword." 

A group showing Abraham Lincoln and the freed slave 
at his feet. Further front, two tiny negro children 
look upward toward the face of Lincoln. 
This tableau can be arranged behind a screen at back of 
stage, and at the proper time the screen be removed. 
Music. — " Old Black Joe," hummed by the school. 
A pupil recites from the floor closing words of Lincoln's Second 
Inaugural speech " With malice toward none," etc. 



PAGEANT 287 

Columbia rises from her dais and with arm upraised recites the 
13th Amendment. 

Group recedes to back of stage. 
XII. Armistice Day. 

History showing her book to the child. 
Child. — Regarding it slowly, but with dawning enthusiasm. 
" Oh, what a lovely parade! Why, there's Ben and Isidore. 
" That looks just like Jennie and me." 

History. — " That shows how the children of America rejoiced 
on Armistice Day." 

A whistle is heard in the audience. 
Then follows a ringing of bells and rattles. 
The children jump from their seats in groups and march 
toward various parts of the room finally forming 
lines four abreast. They march up on the stage, 
singing " Over There " and playing antics of every 
^ description. 

At a given signal the singing stops and a little fellow 
steps to the front and calls out " Up with the flag. 
The war is over." 
There is a hush. Then the children sing " There's a 
Long, Long Trail." They leave the platform 
quietly and proceed in a double file to their seats. 
XIII. The Allies. 

(a) A boy comes to platform and recites " The Flag of 
France," by Grace EUery Channing. Use Stanzas 
1-4-6-7 and last. (Omit 2-3-5.) 
During the recitation a boy enters the hall, bearing the 
French flag. He walks slowly to the stage and stands 
on one side of Columbia's throne. 
(6) The chorus sings " Rule Brittania." A boy enters 
bearing an English flag. He passes to the stage 
and stands on the other side of Columbia. 

(c) To the singing of ' Santa Lucia," the Italian flag is 

taken to the stage and the bearer stands beside 
the English flag. 

(d) The child (coming forward and clapping her hands). 
" Oh, History, now that the war is over, let me show you 

what our School is doing to teach us to become good 
American Citizens." 



288 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

Here may follow a description of an}' of the activities 
which the school is pursuing to teach self reliance, 
industry and thrift; such as reports of Health 
League, clubs, etc. 
XIV. Scene by Kindergarten Children. — School activities. 

" Wliat does the red tell us? " 

" To be brave." 

" What does the white tell us? " 

" To be pure." 

" Wliat does the blue tell us? " 

" To be true." 
Salute to the flag. 

" We give our heads, our hearts, and our hands to our 
country. 

One country, one language, and one flag!" 

" What is your country? " 

" My countrj' is America." 

" What is your flag?" 

" My flag is red, white and blue." 

" Where do you live? " 

" I live in America." 

"Three cheers!" 

" Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! " 
XV. / am an .4 merican. (Recited by a boy who looks an ideal type 
of American.) 

I am an American. 

My father belongs to the Sons of the Revolution; 

My mother, to the Colonial Dames. 

One of my ancestors pitched tea r)ver])(>ard in Boston 
Harbor; 

Another stood his ground with Warren : 

Another hungered with Washington at ^'alley Forge. 

My forefathers were America in the making: 

They spoke in her council halls; 

They died on her battle-fields; 

They commanded her ships ; 

They cleared her forests. 

Dawns reddened and paled. 

Stanch hearts of mine beat fast at each new star 



PAGEANT 289 

In the nation's flag. 

Keen eyes of mine foresaw her greater glory. 

The sweep of her seas, 

The plenty of her plains, 

The man-hives in her bilhon-wired cities. 

Every drop of blood in me holds a heritage of patriotism. 

I am proud of my past. 

I am an American. 

At the conclusion of the recitation the boy passes to one 
side of the stage and a foreign-looking boy comes 
forward and recites : 

/ am an American. 

I am an American. 

My father was an atom of dust. 

My mother a straw in the wind, 

To his serene, majesty. 

One of my ancestors died in the mines of Siberia; 

Another was crippled for life by twenty blows of the kmd: 

Another was killed defending his home during the 

massacres. 
The history of my ancestors is a trail of blood 
To the palace-gate of the Great Wliite Czar. 
But then the dream came. 
The dream of America. 
In the light of the Liberty torch 
The atom of dust became a man 
And the straw in the wind a woman 
For the first time. 
" See," said my father, pointing to the flag that fluttered 

near. 
" That flag of stars and stripes is yours; 
" It is the emblem of the promised land. 
" It means, my son, the hope of humanity. 
" Live for it — die for it." 

Under the open sky of my new country I swore to do so; 
And every drop of blood in me will keep that vow. 
I am proud of my future. 
I am an American. 



290 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

The two boys leave the stage and a class passes up for 
the Flag Drill. 
XVT. Flag Drill. 

XVII. During this recitation a boy passes down the center aisle to the 
front of the stage, carrying the American flag. 

The group on the stage and the school rise to give the 
flag salute. 
XVIII. Flag Salute. 

They then sing one stanza of the " Star Spangled 

Banner." 
The American flag is then borne from the platform. 
Columbia followed by History and the Child pass next 

with the flags of the Allies passing at the end. 
During this the school sings two stanzas of " America, 
the Beautiful." 

IMPORTANT DATES IN OUR HISTORY 

1000 — (?) — Norsemen discovered America. 

1492 — Columbus discovered America. 

1497 — John Cabot reached the mainland of North America. 

1513 — Balboa first saw the Pacific Ocean. 

Ponce de Leon journeyed to Florida. 
1519-21 — Cortez conquered Mexico. 

Magellan's ships sailed around the world. 
1534-35 — Cartier explored in Canada. 
1541 — De Soto discovered the Mississippi River. 
1577-80 — Drake's voyage. 

1584-87 — Raleigh attempted to colonize in what is now Virginia. 
1607 — Settlement made at Jamestown. 
1608 — Champlain made settlement at Quebec. 
1614 — New Netherlands first settled. 
1619 — Meeting of first representative body in America in Virginia. 

Slaves brought to Virginia. 
1620 — Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. 
1634— Maryland settled at St. Mary's. 
1635 — Connecticut settled. 

1636— Roger Williams started settlement at Providence, Rhode Island. 
1638 — Delaware settled by the Swedes. 



IMPORTANT DATES IN OUR HISTORY 291 

1643 — New England Confederation formed. 
1664 — New Netherlands became New York. 

New Jersey founded. 
1681-82 — La Salle explored Mississippi. 
1682 — Pennsylvania settled. 
1733— Georgia settled. 

1754 — Plan of Union proposed, — called Albany plan of union. 
1754-63 — French and Indian War. 
1755 — Braddock defeated at Fort Duquesne. 
1759 — Quebec taken by the English. 
1765 — Stamp Act passed. 
1773— Boston Tea Party. 
1774 — First Continental Congress met. 
1775 — Battle of Lexington. 
1775 — Second Continental Congress met. 
1775— Battle of Bunker Hill. 
1776 — Declaration of Independence adopted. 
1^77 — Battle of Saratoga won by the Americans. 
1780 — Arnold's treason. 
1781 — Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. 
1783 — Treaty of Peace with England signed. 
1787 — Constitutional Convention met at Philadelphia. 
1787 — Constitution adopted. (Adopted by 9 states- in 1788, but by 

Convention, September 17, 1787.) 
1789— Washington chosen first president of the United States. 
1791— United States Bank established. 
1793 — Whitney invented the Cotton-gin. 
1800 — City of Washington became the national Capital. 
1803 — Louisiana purchased from France. 
1804 — Lewis and Clark explored in the West. 
1807 — Fulton invented the Steamboat. 
1812-15 — Second war with England. 

1815 — Battle of New Orleans won by Andrew Jackson's troops. 
1819 — Florida purchased. 
1820 — Missouri Compromise passed. 
1830 — First steam railway opened in the United States. 
1844 — Morse sent first telegraph message. 
1846-48 — War between the United States and Mexico. 
1848 — California and Southwest annexed. 



292 FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM IN AMERICA 

1858 — Debates between Lincoln and Douglas. 

1861-65— Civil War. 

1863 — Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln. 

1865 — General Lee surrendered to General Grant. 

1867 — Alaska purchased from Russia. 

1876 — Centennial Exibition at Philadelphia. 

1898 — War between the United States and Spain. 

Hawaiian Islands annexed. 

Porto Rico annexed. 
1899 — Philippine Islands purchased from Spain. 
1904 — Panama Canal Zone purchased. 
1907 — Wireless message sent across the Atlantic Ocean, 
1914 — Panama Canal opened to commerce. 

World War opened by Germany. 
1917 — The United States declared war against Germany. 
1918 — Armistice signed ending the World War. 
1919 — Treaty of Peace signed between Allies and Germany. 
1921— Separate Treaty of Peace between United States and Germany, 



INDEX 



Adams, Samuel, 126-133 

Aeroplane, Use of, 222 

Agriculture, New Methods of, 225- 

229 
Alleghany Mountains, 164 
Amendments to the Constitution, 

245, 264 
Americus Vespucius, 20 
Armada, Spanish, 44 
Arnold, Benedict, 145 
Assembly, First Representative, 56, 

123 

Balboa, 36 

Baltimore, Settlement of, 96 

Baltimore, Lord, 95, 96 

Barton, Clara, 246-255 

Bell, Alexander Graham, 234 

Boone, Daniel, Explorer and Settler, 

164-172 
Boston Tea Party, 128, 141 
Braddock, General, Defeat of, 139, 

140 
Bunker Hill, Battle of, 131 
Burgoyne, General, 153 

Cabot, John, 30-33 

Cabot, Sebastian, 30-33 

Canada, Explored and Settled, 82-87 

Cartier, Jacques, 82 

Carver, John, Governor, 60 

Catholics in Maryland, 96 



Champlain, Samuel de, 82-84 

Circumnavigation of Globe, First, 37 

Civil War, 213 

Clarke, George Rogers, Northwest, 
161 

Clay, Henry, 197-201 

Clermont, The First Steamboat, 181 

Colonies, The Thirteen, 121 

Columbus, Christopher, Life, Dis- 
covers America, Later Voyages, 
11-29 

Compromises, Clay's, 200 

Concord, Battle of, 130 

Constantinople, 11 

Continental Congress, First, 141 

Cornwallis, General, 143-149 

Cortez, Explorations of, 37 

Declaration of Independence, Writ- 
ing of, Adoption of, 143 

De Leon, Ponce, 34, 35 

De Soto, Hernando, Explorations of, 
38, 39, 40 

Dinwiddle, Governor, 137, 138 

Drake, Sir Francis, 42-45 

Dutch in America, 72-81 

Dutch East India Company, 72 

Edison, Thomas A., 236 
Education in Colonies, 68 
Electric Telegraph, 232, 233 
Elizabeth, Queen of England, 47, 48 



293 



294 



INDEX 



Ericson, Leif, 6 

European War of 1914, 267-276 

Fairfax, Lord, 136 

Ferdinand and Isabella, King and 
Queen of Spain, 11-29 

Field, Cyrus W., 233 

Florida, Discovery of, 35 

Fort Amsterdam, 76 

Fort Necessity, 139 

France, Surrender of American Pos- 
sessions, 105 

Franklin, Benjamin, Life of, Poor 
Richard's Almanac, Discoveries in 
Electricity, Services to His Coun- 
try, 112-120 

French Explorers, 82-88 

French War, Last, 101-105 

Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, 201 

Fulton, Robert, Boyhood, Inven- 
tions, 178-182 

Gage, General, 129 

Genoa, 12, 30 

George III, King of England, 128- 

130 
Georgia, Settlement of, 97 
Germany, War with, 270-275 
Gettysburg, Battle of, 218 
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 46 
Gin, Cotton, 184, 185 
Grant, Ulysses S., 216-221 
Greene, Nathanael, 146 

Half-Moon, 72-74 

Hamilton, Alexander, 173-177 

Hancock, John, 129 

Hawkins, John, 42, 43 

Henry, Patrick, 121-127 

Hiawatha, 3 

Hoe, -Richard M., 229 

Howe, Elias, 186 

Hudson, Henry, 72-81 



Hudson River, Discovery of, 73 

Independence, Declaration of, 143 
Indians, 3, 17, 55, 61, etc. 
Inventions, 178-188, 225-241 

Jackson, General Andrew; His Boy- 
hood, at Battle of New Orleans; 
as President, 188-192 

Jamestown, Settlement of, 53-57 

Jefferson, Thomas, 156-161 

Joliet, Louis, 84 

Jones, John Paul; Early Life, as a 
Naval Commander, 151-155 

Knox, General, 142 

Lafayette, Marquis de; in the Ameri- 
can Revolution; Visit to America, 
145-150 

La Salle, Explorations of, 85-88 

Lee, General Robert E., in the 
Civil War, 219 

Lewis and Clark Expedition, 161 

Lexington, Battle of, 129, 130 

Liberty Bell, 158 

Lincoln, Abraham, Early Life; Mid- 
dle Life; as President, 206-215 

Louisiana, Purchase of, 160 

Lusitania, Sinking of, 269 

Magellan, Ferdinand; Voyages of, 36 
Marconi, 233 
Marquette, Father, 84 
Massachusetts, Early Settlement of, 

58-71 
Mayflower, 59 
McCormick, Reaper, 228 
McKinlcy, Assassination of, 260 
Myles Standish, 58-64 
Minute-men, 129 
Mississippi River, Discovery of, 39 



INDEX 



295 



Mississippi Valley, Exploration of, 

86, 87 
Missouri Compromise, 200 
Montcalm, General, at Battle of 

Quebec, 102-105 
Morris, Robert, 144 
Morse, Samuel F. B., as Inventor 

of the Telegraph, 232, 233 

Navigation Acts, 121 
Navy, Beginnings of, 151 
Negro Slavery, 43 
New Amsterdam, 76 
New England Confederacy, 70 
New Jersey, 76, 114, 143 
New Orleans, 105 

Newspapers, Development and Im- 
portance of, 229 
NdW World, Discovery of, 17 
Norsemen, 5, 6, 7 
Nullification, 191 

Oglethorpe, General James, 97-99 
Old North Church, 130 

Pacific Ocean, Discovery of, 36 
Panama Canal, 36, 261 
Penn, William, 89-94 
Pennsylvania, 91-94 
Pilgrims, 58-64 
Pizzaro, 37 
Plenty Coups, 3 
Plymouth, Landing at, 60 
Preparedness, 268 
Printing Press, 115, 229 
Prohibition, 245 
Providence, Settlement at, 69 
Puritans, Settlement by, 65-71 

Quakers, Characteristics of; Settle- 
ment of, in America, 89-93 
Quebec, Capture of, 105 



Railroads, 193-196 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 46-50 

Reaper Invented, 226 

Red Cross Society, American, 246- 

255 
Religion in Colonies, 67-70 
Revere, Paul, His " Midnight Ride,'' 

129 
Revolution, Causes of; Important 

Events of, 121-150 
Rhode Island, Settlement of, 69 
Roosevelt, Theodore, Early Life; as 

President, 256-262 
Rough-Riders, 259 
Russo-Japanese War; Roosevelt as 

Peacemaker, 261 

San Salvador, 16 

Schools in Pioneer Days, 64 

Secession, 213 

Shaw, Anna Howard, Early Life; 

Worker for Woman Suffrage, 263- 

266 
Sherman, General, in Georgia, 218 
Skraellings, 7 
Smith, John, Early Life; in Virginia; 

Explorations, 53-57 
South Carolina, 191 
Spanish- American War, 259 
Spanish Explorers, 34-41 
Stamp Act, 122-124 
Standish, Myles, Military Leader 

of the Pilgrims; at Plymouth, 58- 

64 
St. Augustine, Settlement of, 35 
States Rights, 191 
Steamboat Invented, 181 
Suffrage, Woman, 265, 266 

Tariff, 191 

Taxation of Colonies, 121-127 
Telephone, Invention of, 234 
Tobacco, 48 



296 



INDEX 



Town Meeting, 68 
Travel in Early Days, 193 
Trenton, Battle, 143 

Valley Forge, 144 

Virginia, Settlement of, 53-57 

War for Independence, 130-151 

War of 1812, 189 

Warren, Dr. Joseph, 132 

Washington, George; Early Life; 
His Journey to the French Forts; 
at Braddock's Defeat; in the 
Revolution; as President, 134-150 



Washington, Lawrence, 135 

W. C. T. U., 244, 245 

Webster, Daniel, 201-205 

Whitney, Eli; Inventor of Cotton 

Gin, 185 
Williams, Roger; Driven into Exile; 

Settlement of Providence, 69, 70 
Wilson, Woodrow, and the World 

War, 267-278 
Willard, Frances E., 242-245 
Winthrop, John; as Puritan Leader, 

65-67 
Wireless Telegraph, 233, 234 
Wolfe, James; His Youth; at 

Quebec, 100-106 



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